Kingdom Hearts: The Fallen Kingdom
by Sulhadahne
Summary: Third Part of Axelerate So, the Door to Light's been opened. What's a Keyblade Master to do? Somehow make sense of all the political world intrigue of course. Sora and friends will make it somehow. That's if, they don't all kill each other first. Finished
1. Summit, Take Nine

_"In time every sad ending becomes happy. It's a sad ending only because the author stops telling the story. But it still goes on. It's just untold."_

_- From the movie _Twin Falls Idaho

Bleak and desolate like a lost child, a black dot on the horizon, in the midst of a sea of fog, it sat. No eyes had been set on it in thousands of years. The old civilization built much like an enormous floating castle sat on pillars immersed in the clouds.

Light streamed down on its cracked surface, dust caking everything in sight. Far within the old walls, sitting dormant in the center of the fallen realm was a throne room. Age old stains marked its floor and ceiling, with terrible burns marking most everywhere else. It seemed like an old battlefield.

And yet, though everything in the entire castle was destroyed, beaten, and decayed, the throne was not. It was pristine, crystal, and unmarked. A purple pillow, lined in lace sat in the seat, with but a small little crown atop it.

It read upon it the words, **_Taishite za_****_kaichou mai Munesanzun._**

**_For the melody of my heart._**

_**Kingdom Hearts: The Fallen Kingdom**_

The early morning peace was shattered by the infernal buzzing of an alarm clock. Flashing "6:30" in bright red color, the machine gave a Chocobo like squeak. "Time to get up! Time to get up!" It chimed.

The bed sheets rustled and the bed's occupant groaned. His hand slipped out of the blankets, groping blindly for the annoying clock. When it was found, he shut it off with a click. Tossing the sheets aside, the boy sat up, groaning sleepily as he covered his eyes from the light.

"Good morning" He mumbled to no one, leaping up and out of his room. The boy made a mad dash for the bathroom.

In the lovingly nicknamed Crap house household, a make shift mansion of patched ceilings and broken windows, 6:30 was an early time to wake up. With almost twenty inhabitants in the home, it was usually a crowded busy place, even with four bathrooms and three floors.

Edym "Demyx" Nocturne wasn't usually an early riser, but had had big plans for that Monday. Humming to himself in his Chocobo boxers, the blonde began washing his face, brushing his teeth, and otherwise cleaning up for the day. With a little floss, some cologne, and half a can of hair gel (a very valuable item in the household) Demyx was ready to go. Beaming, he ran out of the bath and towards the stairs.

Of course, he back tracked after feeling a bit of a breeze and realizing he'd jumped the gun. He decided he might want clothes before running off into town.

Ten minutes later, the boy closed his bedroom door behind him and scampered down the steps, a beautiful sitar in hand. Demyx wore white converses, short knee length jeans, and a black tee shit bearing the Universal Alliance symbol: it was a heart with four swords behind it, reading "Unite" as the title.

Even though he'd woken up early, Demyx wasn't at all surprised that he wasn't alone. When he hopped into the kitchen, Demyx saw Dilan sitting in front of a small television, sleepily munching on toast. Dilan "Xaldin" Whirlwind barely ever slept, staying to coffee to stay awake.

"Hey Xaldin" Demyx smiled, calling his ally by his family nick name. The man nodded to Demyx as he watched the morning news.

"More news about the summit?"

… _for the past week and a half, world leaders from all over the galaxy have been convening and discussing peace, and the coming changes that lie ahead for us all. As these meetings have progressed, many strong determined leaders have caught the public eye. _

_One such leader is Lady Braska Yunalesca of Spira, a young religious leader of the Yevonite Fayth. Peace and unity seem to be her top priorities, and she continues to tell the people: do not forget the past wars, and the past sacrifices, let's not let them happen again. _

_Another speaker who has stood out is a young island girl who's only spoken once, yet captured the hearts of many. Yuuchou Aisu, younger sister of Yuuchou Sora, talked of her first hand experiences with the Heartless and her brother's death, and revival._

_On the opposite side of the spectrum, a member of the crowd stood up to speak today and his radical views have caused quite the stir. Prof. Hojo of the planet Gaia proposed to the council that they return to the Gate to Midnight and attempt to retrieve any last remains of the Heartless; Radiant Garden leader Squall Leonhart is firmly against this, and most of the citizens say…_

"I can't believe that cockroach is still alive" Demyx murmured angrily, glaring at the image on the TV screen. Xaldin growled in agreement.

_On a funnier note, one recently appointed ambassador from the world Gunsmoke caused quite the stir today, but a good one. The young man, titled Vash the Stampede, spoke of peace with these words; "Peace is like a donut, never ending, and really yummy." He continued to say that peace was good glazed or frosted, and gets soggy when dipped in coffee. Vash ended his speech in tears telling the people "the lobby has really good donuts, and they're having a two for one sale"._

Demyx and Xaldin stared at the television screen, Xaldin with a piece of toast hanging from his lips, Demyx with his mouth open. Twitching a little, Xaldin looked up at his friend slowly. Demyx shrugged. "I like that guy!"

"You would" Xaldin smirked. Shaking his head, Xaldin chuckled as Demyx leapt up and grabbed his sitar, about to run out the door.

"Where're you going?" Xaldin asked, looking over the TV. Demyx took hold of the door frame and looked over his shoulder. With a grin, he held up his instrument.

"I want to practice before I go out" he explained.

"You'd better find a place soon I hear the others getting up"

Demyx gasped. "Aw man!" Rushing out of the kitchen and into the main hall, Demyx glanced around and decided the library was his best bet; who would get up at seven am to read?

Leaping in, Demyx smiled and sat on the floor with a sigh.

"You'd better not be thinking of playing that in here" A female voice muttered.

Demyx grimaced. Slowly looking over his shoulder, the boy winced to see a blonde woman sprawled out on the sofa, a book in hand. It read _Marquis de Sade_.

"Hey, Lelean!" Demyx cheered with an overly sweet voice. "How are you this morning?"

"I didn't sleep at all" She seethed, grinding her teeth. "Go play your trash somewhere else!"

"But, Larxene!" He pouted with big puppy eyes. His lip twitched.

_**"Get. Out." **_

With a gasp and a leap, Demyx panicked to get out the door with his sitar, slamming it shut just in time. He could feel Larxene's knives embed themselves in the door, and gulped. Come to think of it, the library door had many such scars.

"Meanie" Demyx grumbled, stomping away with a pout.

Glancing around, Demyx wondered where else he could go. He could feel the rumbling sound of footsteps and voices getting louder; running out of time, Demyx ran to the left, to the weight room.

Slamming the door shut, Demyx sighed happily glad to have gotten in before Axel or anyone else decided to start the morning routine. Since he couldn't see anyone else, the room was his. Or so he thought.

Suddenly, Demyx heard a giggling, and the thump of something hard hitting the floor. Eyes very wide all of a sudden, Demyx looked down. On the floor sat two little toddlers in cute, pastel colors, alone with out supervision in the weight room. The little boy, Rin, was busy sucking a ten pound weight, but when Demyx had walked in, he'd dropped it. His sister Vixen giggled at Demyx's befuddled look with innocent, rose colored eyes.

"Oh, no" Demyx whispered, backing away slowly. Rin was watching as his sister picked up one of the weights. With a thundering crash, the weight smashed into the wall by Demyx's face as the boy let out a girlish squeak. Scampering to escape the room as Vex bombarded him with heavy objects, the boy ran smack into the door frame before escaping.

Breathing heavily, Demyx leaned against the door. "Demon baby" He whispered with wide eyes, frantically hurrying away from the door.

The next room he tried was the break room, but when he entered the room the door was suddenly smashed back into his face.

"Out" Zexion seethed.

Muttering something about emo boys, Demyx moved on to try Xigbar's room. Usually the man was gone all through the night to who knows where, so there was a chance he hadn't returned the night before. When he opened the door, though, Demyx found Xigbar… and someone else.

"Ah! –Yeah!"

"Braig!"

Shrieking, Demyx leapt right out of the room, breathing hard, his chest heaving. He did _**not**_ want to see Xigbar or Paine like that. _Especially_ not at the same time. Though it would be kinda weird if they somehow managed that alone. Even though you could kinda do that, it would be really hard, and you'd have to…

_Stop thinking about it!_ Demyx commanded harshly to himself, beat read in the face.

Scampering back down the hall, Demyx gave up on the house, and turned to the one place he thought just might have some peace.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was quiet, serene, and peaceful. Outside the small, empty room the citizens roamed the streets; inside, all there was, was a piano. A marvelous grand piano, pristine and elegant. Sitting on the stool beside it was a young girl, stretching her fingers lightly. Without making a sound, her fingertips danced over the keys, not quite touching.

She began to play. Lighting, her fingers danced over the keys, making a beautiful, nostalgic sound.

"Very nice" A visitor standing in the doorway smiled. The girl turned to him and smiled.

"Thank you" She murmured, eyes low. Her mind seemed far away, almost as if she was on a high from being near the marvelous instrument.

"The meeting begins, shall we go?" The boy spoke with a French accent, extending his arm to her politely. Both were dressed in old French attire.

Nodding, the girl smiled. "Lead the way, **_mon amie_****" **

"_Redresser de cette façon, ma dame_" (Right this way, my lady) The boy bowed with a smart grin as the girl walked by him.

"_Merci, Armand. Se dépêchons; Je veux obtenir ceci tout fait avec._" (Thank you, Armand. Let's hurry; I want to get this all done with) with a smirk, the girl strode by, turning to look at the piano one last time.

"Now, now, head out of the clouds, ma dame" Armand insisted, clicking his tongue. "_Confiances de Madame Belle vous avec ceci. __Vous ne voudriez pas le seigneur et Madame déçue vous_?" (Lady Belle trusts you with this. You wouldn't want the lord and lady disappointed, would you?)

Sighing, the girl shook her head. "That's the last thing I would want"

The two left the room and shut the door, leaving the grand instrument silent and alone.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Out in the soft light, beneath the old pillars of the house dropped vines and roses. Chrysanthemums and day lilies crowded together with small sunflowers leaning over them; tulips all colors of the rainbow were arranged into color coordinated flower boxes, with daisies growing from the cracks in the stone path.

It was a gorgeous little hideaway in a house where the roof was falling apart, so Demyx often would go to the courtyard to relax. It was a dangerous place in the early morning, but for the sake of practice he would risk it.

Glancing up, Demyx smiled; standing in the midst of the flowers and shrubs was a friend and gauging his demeanor, he was in a friendly mood. He wasn't always agreeable in the morning… or any other time, really.

"Hey, Edym" Lumaari "Marluxia" Grace was the one standing in the garden, fingering a flower in the garden. With a pink polo, dark blue jeans, and brown sandals, Marluxia was very at home in the garden.

"Hey, Marly!" Demyx cheered with a wave. "Good morning!"

"Morning" Smiling, Marluxia walked away from the flower box and sauntered over to his friend.

"Came to play music, huh?" Marluxia leaned against a nearby pillar. "Feel free to, I need someone to water the flowers" Wincing, Demyx bit his lip.

"Well, about that…"

"Huh?" Marluxia looked surprised. "You're still having trouble?"

"Yeah" Sighing, Demyx lowered his head. "Ever since we arrived here, everybody's had a bit of a foggy head. Axel and Namine remember everything but I still have trouble remembering stuff, and –"

"Me too" Marluxia added. "I remember bits and pieces, like Sora and Ridu – Riku."

"Yeah, what about your powers?" Demyx interrupted eagerly. Marluxia nodded.

"I can summon my scythe – it's coming back, slowly" Demyx looked ready to sob his lip quivering. (Aw! Kawaii!)

"Aw, man!" Demyx pouted. "I still can't do anything! Not even a rain drop! This sucks!"

Laughing, Marluxia patted Demyx's shoulder. "Hang on, it takes time. You'll get it back"

With a heavy sigh, Demyx looked back to his sitar. Marluxia walked back over to his plants, pulling weeds away. "At least I still have sitar – chan" Demyx smiled, beginning to play a soft melody.

From over his shoulder, Marluxia smiled. "Hm, Demyx" Pausing to listen to the music, he sighed. "The greatest power you have never left you"

0-0-0-0-0-0

The pathway up into the summit center was crowded, loud, and very beautiful. The mix of so many was a great sight, yet it hurt the chances of finding people you knew. In order to tell whether or not the person he was waiting for was there already, the brown haired boy was standing on a railing, his hand wrapped around a pole.

The boy was handsome, coming of age, with a firm, yet slim build. He'd matured, a bit scarred, yet his eyes full of youthful hope and optimism. Dressed in a black jacket and blue capris, he wore the insignia of his home world; a Paopu fruit.

Scanning the crowd, the boy called out the name once again. "Lady Aimé? Lady Aimé **Rousseau**?"

"_¡Aquí!_ I am Lady Rousseau!"

Glancing over, the brown haired boy grinned and leapt to the ground. A red headed French girl, dressed the part in her white gown, raced up to the boy, bowing quickly. "I am Aimé Rousseau."

"This is my partner, Sir Armand Ackart." The boy who'd caught up with her was a bit taller than the brown haired boy, his hair jet black and slick, his eyes a piercing blue. He nodded to the brown haired boy.

"My name's Yuuchou Sora!" Puffing out his chest, the boy pointed his thumb to himself with a big grin.

"Yuuchou?" Armand asked. "A strange name" Sora looked dumbfounded.

"Uh – no. That's my last name. Err – just call me Sora. It means sky."

Armand looked a bit confused. Scratching his head, he shrugged. Smiling up at him, Aimé continued. "We represent Lady Belle and the former Beast's Castle."

"Huh?" Sora seemed a bit confused. "It's not his castle anymore?"

Giggling behind her gloved hand, Aimé shook her head. "_¡Tonto¡Él es tan lindo!_

It is his castle, but he is no longer a beast!" (Silly! He's so cute!)

As Armand smirked and Aimé giggled behind her hand, Sora shrugged with a smile. "Cool! I'm glad he broke the spell." He beckoned the two to follow him. "Come on, I'll tell you all about the summit"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey, Demyx!" The boy ceased to play, looking up. Marluxia spoke. "Didn't you have somewhere to go?"

"Oh, its time already!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

_La la la…_

_Underneath the blue sky, the wind blows toward the future, as if embracing the rays of the sun_

_Merely wandering along, I leave behind only a trail of footsteps._

_As long as there's a breeze brushing my cheek and grass to lie in_

_I don't need anything else, and I'll smile with satisfaction._

_Sleeping, gazing at_

_The never ending future…_

_The Wind Blows Toward the Future_, from Trigun

Rushing down the crowded, busy streets, Demyx disappeared into a crowd by the coffee shop, his sitar in hand. It was nice to be back in the peaceful place; he'd been busy with his music all week, he hadn't had time to look around. Stepping into the line, Demyx bought a box of Danishes for everyone at home and a coffee for himself. He stepped out of line and as he did, the boy glanced around, looking for one face…

As the boy stepped out to find his friend, he missed looking down. Some merchandise had fallen onto the floor before him, and without fail, he stepped on it. With a quick slip, he fell to the floor with a yelp. The coffee and box of Danishes in his hands flew into the air. With a grimace, the boy waited for the items to fly down onto his face.

He heard gasps and yelps, yet nothing hit his face. Blinking, the boy opened his eyes, looking up.

His breakfast was covering the clothes and face of a man in line beside him.

He was scary. Tall, very tall, with an eye patch over his right eye, and a scar running down the left side of his face. His teeth were fanged, and his chest broad and Demyx almost mistook him for Xigbar. White Danish and coffee were all over his clothes and his face.

"Uh oh" Looking down to the mans' feet, Demyx saw a young girl standing beside him. She was very innocent looking, with pink hair and wide eyes.

"_**You…**_**"**

"Oh, man" A bald man behind him sighed. Demyx watched the tall scarred man seethe as the bald man shook his head. A fourth person with a strange feather coming out of his eyebrow looked down on Demyx in pity and disgust.

The scarred man was twitching, looking down on Demyx with fire in his eyes. His hand went down to his waist. There was a blade there.

"Oh, my gosh, I am SO sorry, I really am, I –"

"Run, Blondie!" The pink haired girl yelled.

Screeching like a little girl for the second time that day, Demyx leapt to his feet, tripping over the shirt again, before rushing out of the coffee shop like a monkey on steroids. As he did, he passed the very person he'd been waiting for. "Demyx?" Yuffie asked, watching him screech and rush off. Only a moment after, a tall man with strange looking hair ran by, the bells tied to the end of his hair jingling.

"What in the world? Demyx?" Yuffie gasped.

"You know Blondie?" Yuffie spun around. The little pink haired girl was standing beside her. "My name's Yachiru. Blondie made Ken – chan really mad."

"Ken – chan?" Yuffie asked, looking back to Demyx. His blonde head and waving hands were disappearing into the crowd as the raging Ken – chan chased after.

"COME BACK HERE SHRIMP! _**FIGHT LIKE A MAN**_!"

His voice reached very high vocal feats as Demyx leapt over a small wall beside the walkway, rushing towards the path below. To his surprise, the man behind him leapt from wall to wall, very strong, easily catching up.

"Ohman, ohman, ohman" Demyx bit his lip, glancing around for anything to save his life. If only he could produce some water, do something!

There! A skateboard on the side of the street. Two kids were standing beside it with their dog. Rushing past them, Demyx stole the board and leapt on it. "Sorry! I'll bring it back!" He told them, looking ahead.

Grimacing angrily, Ken – chan leapt off the side of a building to propel himself around the corner of the walkway and to the other side, where Demyx was boarding down a railing. He screeched at the sight of the scary man grinning angrily, dark and evil looking as he flew down towards the blonde.

Grasping a pole, Demyx propelled himself around, landing easily on the other side. Ken smirked. "Heh, not as dumb as he looks." He fell by with great speed, which caused some of the cake on him to fly off and smash into passerby's faces.

"Excuse me! Coming through!" Demyx chirped, beginning to think of it as a game. How the boy could take a life or death situation as a new challenge baffled the writer of this sentence, but the writer of this sentence rarely writes a sentence without wondering to write how the sentence she wrote could be wrought.

Of course, behind him, the demonic looking man Ken – chan grinned evilly. "I think its time to get serious"

Demyx skated out of sight and into an area where there was no one. He hoped beyond hope he'd lost the guy in the crowds. Wiping sweat from his brow, Demyx collapsed against the wall. Now he'd have to back track. No doubt Yuffie was either confused or steaming, and a mad girlfriend was never a good thing…

It came suddenly and swiftly. He just couldn't move. His limbs were shaking he was sweating, sliding to the ground. It was terribly, massive, absolutely horrifying – the air was almost thick with the feeling, heavy, as if Demyx was at the bottom of the ocean instead of in Twilight Town. The feeling was the intent to kill, and the air was saturated with it – a lot of it.

"W – What?" Shaking, Demyx climbed up to his feet, glancing around for the source. It – it couldn't be?

It was. The scary, scarred man who'd chased him from the coffee shop was standing across from him, his grin very malicious, his aura radiated extreme killing intent – enough to knock out any inexperienced opponent. How could anyone love killing that much?

"I said I was sorry" Demyx whispered, biting his lip.

The man's hand went to his sword.

"Mommy!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Typing away with precision and swift hands, the man chewed on a bagel. Absentmindedly the man's thoughts drifted from his report and he sighed, his head falling back. Somehow, writing reports about the summit just wasn't as fun as actually working out in the summit.

So, he had a plan. He would dump the report on the next person to be foolish enough to walk in the room, and then he'd run outside! He'd finally get to have fun! No more paperwork, no more sheets, no more crap…

Suddenly, the click of a gun met his ears. Almost as if she'd red his mind, his First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was right behind him, cleaning her pistol. And no doubt, first time he tried to leap away from his duty to report to the Fuhrer, that gun would be down his throat.

Okay. So he'd have to be sneakier. He could do that.

The door to the room opened – in walked a young man with blonde hair, dressed in the blue military uniform. Immediately, the Colonel saw his chance.

"Havoc, report to the Fuhrer!" Mustang insisted as he stood and quickly strode from the room. The blonde blinked in surprise, half a potato chip in his mouth. Mustang slide the door shut behind him and ran down the hall as gunshots broke the silence.

Freedom tasted good, and so did the ice cream Colonel Roy Mustang treated himself to after having found his freedom. As he wandered the summit, glancing at the stalls and food stands, the authoress wondered where she was going with this.

Avoided blondes in the crowd, the Colonel turned down the hall, just as a brown haired boy and his French companions walked past him and into the stadium. Sora bumped into his shoulder; and for a moment, they saw each other. But it passed; Sora walked on with Aimé and Armand, not giving the Colonel a second thought or glance.

Mustang watched the boy go. The ice cream in his hand was melting. For some reason, his eyes seemed far away. But with a sigh, he realized he'd better move on before his sea salt ice cream became sea salt muck and a certain blonde Lieutenant found him and shot him full of holes.

"This place is amazing, _como un palacio en los cielos_" (like a palace in the heavens) with happy eyes and a content sigh, Aimé took it all in, her heart fluttering.

"I'm glad you like it" Sora told them. Armand looked down to his little ally. Her eyes were lost in thought, her smile wide. And her fingers were tapping against the metal railing, almost as if they were holding a tune.

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was the beginning of another meeting and another day of discussion in the Summit Dome, and everyone was getting settled.

"Everyone let us begin the ninth day of ceremonies here at the Universal Alliance Summit. I believe today we are to hear from…?" Rinoa Heartily spoke bravely into the microphone as all the representatives and political powers sat, and she awaited a response.

All over, reporters and television crews were in the crowds, hanging on to every word. A woman from across the way, sitting with a large group stood.

"I believe we wish to make a statement today, and introduce our society into the summit" The woman said.

"And what world do you represent?" Rinoa spoke, giving him the full attention of the summit.

"We are the Soul Society, who takes into our purpose the protection of souls from the Hollows, soul devouring monsters, and to bring peace to the dead. I am Retsu Unohana, the Captain of the Fourth Division of the Gotei 13."

"Are all of this Gotei 13 with you?"

"Yes –" Suddenly, a man behind Unohana leapt up and whispered into her ear. "I – no. Oh my. I'm afraid we are one captain short."

Two men in the front shared a tired, disgusted look. "Kenpachi…"

0-0-0-0-0-0

It was quiet in the little room. Outside, laughter and cheers, reined, but inside, all that was there was a little note. When he entered the room, it was the first thing he saw.

Cid scratched his chin and walked up to the note.

_Hey Cid!_

_I'm gonna try and find everybody, and get them all over to the tavern tonight! We've haven't all hung out in a while, especially not with Xemnas and his gang._

_How are you? We haven't spoken recently. I'm doing well; Demyx and I have been hanging out, and he's been remembering some stuff. He asked me if we'd ever had sex! The nerve!_

_Well, I hope I'll see you tonight. Tell Shera I say hi!_

_Yuffie Kisaragi _

_PS, you don't want to eat the stuff in the carton in the fridge, Vincent does NOT know how to cook. _

_PSS, don't use the upstairs bathroom, it kinda smells like throw up._

_PSSS, you might want to clean the upstairs bathroom._

Chuckling, Cid passed the letter through his fingers and threw it in the trash.

"Just like the good old days" He smiled.

_Just like the good old days_

_Even when all the old days are done_

_Here we are with unlimited ways_

_To spend these last days under the sun_


	2. Hojo's Discovery

**HELLO MY FRIENDS!**

**Welcome, to those who've never been here. To those coming back, hey! How ya doin? For n00bs, let me introduce myself. I am Sulhadahne.**

**You may now bask in my glory.**

…

**Basking is over.**

**Anyway, I am here to say a little something, something to my pallies! **

**This story as you can already tell has got a hell of a lot of crossovers. Do not let it faze you. I will handle them to the best of my ability, and hey, if you don't have a clue what it is, it probably doesn't matter so much to the plot anyway. Just treat the crossover characters as you would an OC character; no that does not mean you hate the Mary Sue blood suckers. It means you let them be revealed to you as the story goes along.**

**Okay, little info about Sulhadahne; I've started a kinda blog about my stories at a website called Imeem. **

**That is double u double u double u dot I – m – e – e – m dot com. **

**Also, I have a new video up over at you tube, all about Rinoa and Squall. The song Wait for You fits what happened in the fic, so it's kinda a SquallRinoa fic inspired romantic story. Te he.**

**For some reason, I don't feel as if I'm handling this story well so far. But I've gotten some okay reviews. Am I doing it wrong? I hope not!**

**Alas, I shall do my best. **

**(Okay, all readers, go to youtube like right now, and search for KeyofRa! KeyofRa made a video about One More Vacation. **

**Remember when Marluxia sang Poor Unfortunate Souls? Yeah. That's what her vid is. I love it! Go check it out!**

As he dodged trees and raced through the woods, Demyx gasped for breath. As the mansion came into view, he gave a sigh of relief. Though his enemy was fast on his heels, once inside the mansion, Demyx would be safe.

Whooping quietly, the boy glanced over his shoulder as he raced into the courtyard. Gulping, he noticed the intense fire in the man's angry eyes.

"Demyx!"

Looking ahead, Demyx grinned at the sight of Namine holding the door for him. He sprinted through and they shut the door tight behind him. Nervously, Demyx backed away from the door, pulling Namine away by the shoulder.

All was silent for a moment. Then the door was rammed against, and the resonating sound shook the room. The man pounded against the door again, and Demyx walked up to stand ahead of Namine.

With a horrendous blast, the doors to the mansion were blasted open, shards of wood flying everywhere. Cringing, Demyx covered his eyes, and when he looked back, the tall man had walked through the door silently.

"Run, Namine" Demyx whispered.

The enemy grinned, his hand reaching towards his sword. Before he could draw it, Demyx heard a click. Confused, he turned.

Over his shoulder stood a close friend, with long black – gray hair, and a feral grin. Braig "Xigbar" the Freeshooter had drawn one of his guns, had it aimed at the intruder's head.

Just as he appeared, so did more. Sliding down the banister of the stairs, Xaldin leapt down next to Xigbar, two of his spears in hand. On the balcony above, Lenean "Larxene" Nymph stood next to Marluxia, sharpening a knife in her hand. Marluxia was simply leering down at the intruder.

From the ceiling dropped another, one short boy named Sora "Roxas" Destin, and then his greatest friend, Lea came from the door. Axel dropped down from the top of the door frame, his legs wrapped around them, as he pointed a chakram at his enemies head.

"Freeze, porcupine!" Axel accused, swinging upside down on the door frame.

"You" Xigbar taunted, stepping ahead of everyone. It was clear he was the ringleader of the group that had leapt in to save Demyx. It was odd how alike he and the intruder looked.

"You. Almost as sexy as I am. Don't kill my shrimp"

"Your shrimp?" The intruder's voice was deep and rumbling, with a chuckle as he looked over at Demyx.

"I'm not your shrimp!" Demyx pouted, stomping his foot.

"What if I do?" The man's grin grew cat like as he drew his sword anyway; Xaldin grimaced, disapproving as he thrust two spears at the man's throat, and they floated just ahead of him as a warning.

"It's not a matter of if you do. It's if you try. Cause you won't. You'd have to get through me" Xigbar chuckled proudly. "That's not possible, friend."

"Really?" Batting the spears away as if they were nothing, the large man stepped up towards Xigbar. Though he was a foot taller than Xiggy, the Freeshooter didn't back down. "Maybe I'll try my luck"

"Give it your best shot" In an instant, Xigbar's purple weapons were aimed at two delicate areas on the man's body; his face, and his … the authoress digresses.

A cruel smirk came over the intruders features.

"Kenpachi Zaraki"

Everyone turned to the back. Up in the back corner were Larxene and Marluxia stood, Marluxia had leaned over the balcony and begun to speak. "You – you're from Seireitei, Kenpachi Zaraki known as the Captain of the Eleventh Division."

"Division of what?" Demyx muttered, backing away. "Scary clones of Xiggy?"

Zaraki growled, giving Demyx a glare. The boy leapt behind Namine which was a strange feat as they were very different in height.

"So, man almost as sexy as me; with the weird white things… and coffee…" Xigbar's raised gun arm slowly fell as he kind of stared dumbfounded at all the mess on Kenpachi.

"I'll kill that kid" Kenpachi growled as he flung the cake off him, hitting Xiggy right on the uncovered eye. Sighing, he swiped it off and rolled his eyes – err, eye.

"Look, I can tell the kid probably screwed you over, but around here, we have a rule – don't kill the animals." Xigbar explained with a shrug, simply letting his guns fade away. He was obviously done with the ordeal. Demyx looked up in thought, and then frowned deeply at Xigbar, finally understanding the jab at his pride.

"I want to kill it" Zaraki scowled, waving his sword at Demyx. Everyone was looking at him.

"You can't kill it." Xigbar stated. All eyes flew to him.

"You can't stop me"

"Yes, I can. It's mine, you can't kill it."

"Yes, I can"

Everyone's eyes were flying back and forth between the two, and Demyx was sadly wondered why he'd become an it.

"Fine!" Xigbar growled. "How bout this? You and me. Tomorrow morning, nine sharp, the fields outside the city. Win, you can kill the kid. But if I win…"

Zaraki seemed a bit curious as to what Xigbar was about to say, and yet, the twinkle in the man's eyes told all the organization members that he was up to something. Glancing about the room, Xigbar chuckled and smirked up at Kenpachi. "If I win, you train the kid."

"What?!" Demyx complained. "One hour of training with him, and he'll kill me!"

"Shut up shrimp"

"Shut up shrimp" Both men silenced him at once.

"So, I get two fights and if I by chance I lose… I train the kid" A deep laugh came from Kenpachi's throat; it was all almost a game to him. "Interesting. You're strange. Fine. Tomorrow, at nine. Bring a witness. I won't return your dead body.

Smirking around at all the jumpy, scowling members of the organization that were present, Kenpachi Zaraki turned and sauntered out. The air almost became softer, easier to breathe with his leaving. Xigbar was the only one who did not give a sigh of relief. His tattered cape fluttered in the wind as the light streamed over him, Kenpachi ran out into the woods.

As he ran out, Demyx watched him go with a pale face. Slowly, he turned to look at Xigbar. The older man gave him a trademark grin and a thumbs up.

"I'm gonna die" The boy moaned, letting his head drop.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_There were three. The story is a tale older than time, heroes, and villains fighting for a change. But these three are no legend, but a true story – and this story is not over. _

As the television showed the tail end of the special high above the crowd, few stopped to listen. Most had already heard of the legendary three who'd helped save the universe, and brought light back from the darkness. Whispers of them living in Twilight Town had traveled through every back alley and street corner around. Standing at one such street corner was a young man with a newspaper covering his face.

As he lowered the paper, blue eyes darted above the gray color and around the crowd. Setting the paper aside, he pulled a blue hood over his head and began walking out into the crowd.

Grinning up at the bright summer sun, the boy laughed and jogged through the crowd, dodging all sorts of people. His blue eyes did not cease to dance from face to face, taking it all in.

"Riku!" Waving the boy jogged down the stairs to the silver hair teen who was standing behind a plant. As he moved around the large bush, Sora glanced around and then leaned towards Riku. "Why are we hiding behind the bush?" He whispered.

"You don't have to whisper" Riku told him, shaking his head. "I'm just trying not to be recognized." Sora grinned and stuck out his tongue at his much taller friend.

They both seemed just the same as they had been what for their clothes having changed – Sora still wore a small blue jacket with black pants, but the pants were shorter, with belts on each side. His old torn shoes were the same. Riku wore the jacket of a worker in Twilight Town, which was a cream color.

"Where's Kairi?" Sora asked as they stepped out and began walking down the path, avoiding eye contact with others.

"She's gone with Tifa and Yuffie for lunch. We're supposed to meet them"

Pulling on his friend's hand, Riku led the two of them down the path. Sora grinned.

"How's your girlfriend, hey, Riku?"

The boy stopped suddenly, and Sora ran smack into the boy's rigid back. Rubbing his nose, Sora tried to peer over Riku's shoulder to see the boy's look.

"She … is not… _my girlfriend_"

"Riku_ a une amie! _Riku_ a une amie!_" Sora grinned, poking fun at his red faced friend. Sneering, and blushing, Riku grimaced at his friend. (Riku has a girlfriend! Riku has a girlfriend!)

"Sora!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Xigbar stepped up to the office door.

After having ordered his young friends to clean up the mess in the front hall, and after having smashed Demyx's face through the nearest wall, and then having ordered the young friends to once more clean something up, and then having dodged a couple of knives Larxene had thrown at his head, Xigbar then made a break for it upstairs.

So now he stood outside the ivory doors that led to the quietest room and least traveled room in the office. Not even bothering to knock, Xigbar stepped inside.

"Hey, boss man!"

Xemnas looked up over the glasses on his nose to his subordinate. With a sigh, he sat up and set his papers down, realizing rather quickly he was not likely to get any work done anytime soon.

"So, what was that ruckus from downstairs?" Xemnas began, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh, the usual, maniac wants to kill us, I had to beat some sense into 'em; err, at least, I will tomorrow. We're havin a duel. Wanna be my supporter – person – thingy?"

"Not particularly" Xemnas stood and shook his head. "I'm so tired I could sleep for a week. The summit has me making all sorts of reports on us, the heartless, everything."

"Well, then, screw it." Xigbar grinned.

Xemnas stared dumbly.

"If you're tired, screw it" Xigbar walked around the desk to his friend. "Come on, let's go out, and have a drink, like old times! Yuffie wants us all over at the pub tonight anyway, we'll be there early."

"You mean, get drunker, quicker" Xemnas drooled.

"If that's how you see it" Xigbar gave his friend an innocent grin and a thumbs up. With a roll of his eyes, Xemnas chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I have work to do"

Xigbar, with his arms behind his back, looked at the desk. With quick accuracy, Xigbar snatched up the entire bottle of pens and suddenly tossed them out the window. Xemnas blinked his mouth agape as he watched thirty or so writing utensils embed themselves in Marluxia's garden.

"Well, it looks like you're outta pens" Xigbar smiled, waving to the desk. Twitching, Xemnas walked over and picked up the pen he'd been writing with a moment ago. Xigbar's smile fell. "Oh"

Shaking his head, Xemnas set back to writing.

"Hey, Xemnas?" Xigbar began.

"Yes"

"What the _hell_ was that!?"

Xemnas turned to the window, surprised by Xigbar's sudden outburst, and at that moment, Xigbar brushed his arms along the desk and every single paper and document was swept into the opposite window, and right out of the house.

"Wow that sucks. We _really_ need to close these windows more often"

Twitching, Xemnas turned to his subordinate very slowly, a vein twitching on his head. The pen in his hand cracked in half.

"Wow, Mansex" Xigbar clicked his tongue. "Looks like you need a drink"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Lightly and gently her fingers danced about the ivory keys, releasing from them a sweet melody that was catchy, and memorable. Her head bobbed in time with the beat and her eyes were closed as she played by memory.

Armand sat at the window, watching the people walk by below.

"_Ainsi qu'avez-vous pensé à Sora et à ses amis?_" Armand turned to his friend, his expression curious. (So what did you think of Sora and his friends?)

Her song slowly drifted off, and Aimé's hands were raised elegantly from the keys. She sat them in her lap and opened her eyes, looking up to the ceiling.

"_Un tel enfant de Sora!_" Aimé giggled, shaking her head. _Mais… Je pense que je l'aime pour lui. Il veut vraiment que chacun soit heureux. Je pense que ses amis le suivraient à n'importe quelle extrémité, et c'est digne de confiance, à moi._"

(Sora's such a child! … And yet... I think I like him for it. He truly wants everyone to be happy. I think his friends would follow him to any end, and that is trustworthy, to me.)

"Hm" Armand smiled, seemingly happy with Aimé's response. His eyes went back to the window.

"_Il est fort_" Armand smirked. "_Lequel de son ami, Riku? Est-ce que je serais confondu pour dire que vos yeux se sont attardés sur lui un peu plus longtemps que les autres?_"

(He's strong. … What of his friend, Riku? Would I be mistaken to say that your eyes lingered on him a bit longer than the others?)

Suddenly, the girl sat up straighter, and her frowning face gained a rosier color. Armand laughed at the poor girl taken off guard, and she grimaced and turned away. "You – you – you would be mistaken!"

"Oh, I see!" Still letting his laughter die, Armand shook his head. "_Bien, je ne crois pas que je suis si je dis les yeux de Riku restés sur toi._" (Well, I do not believe I am if I say Riku's eyes stayed on you.)

The girl gasped suddenly, the rose color on her cheeks becoming more profound. Chuckling, Armand stood and walked by, tapping the piano as he did.

"Practice" He told her. "Can't have you falling behind" Armand began to walk out the door as the shy girl nodded and set her fingers on the keys again.

"Armand" She called as she slowly began to play. "_Merci, avec bonté._" (Thank you, kindly.

Smiling, Armand walked out the door. "_Puits de jeu!_" (Play well!) With that, he was gone.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, tonight, about what, six?"

"Six? Sure! Start early, get drunker quicker!" Yuffie laughed, shaking her head. Tifa chuckled and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Not everyone can drink yet, right Kairi?"

The red head had been staring intently at the coffee mug in her hands, watching the brown liquid swirl back and forth. The hustle and bustle and noise around her had been far in the back of her mind.

"Kairi?" The girl blinked.

"Oh!" Setting her mug down, Kairi sat tall and nodding, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I was – distracted."

Yuffie and Tifa shared a look. "You've been distracted a lot lately."

"No, really! I'm just tired! I've been filing books all day, working at the library." Kairi was doing her best to change the subject, Tifa could tell. She wasn't sure if Yuffie could, what with how ADHD the girl could be sometimes.

"Oh, how is the job going?" Of course she couldn't tell. Tifa sighed inwardly, and let the conversation drift.

"Just fine. I've learned a lot, reading when I'm supposed to be working." Kairi giggled, shaking her head. "All the worlds here – they have such complex histories, its beautiful."

"I'm sure it is" Tifa smiled, sipping her iced latte.

"Speaking of complex, you won't believe what Demyx got himself into!" Yuffie laughed and shook her head. Both girls looked over to their short friend who, despite laughing, looked a little concerned. "He and I were supposed to meet at the coffee shop this morning, but Demyx accidentally poured a bunch of coffee and sweets on this guy in line."

"That's just like him!" Kairi giggled into her palm.

"I've seen Cid do worse" Tifa commented with a sly smirk. She and Yuffie shared a look and a private laugh, but Yuffie continued.

"Anyway, -"

"Wait, what did Cid do?" Kairi interrupted with a curious face. Tifa was glad to see it; Kairi had been sort of down lately.

"Ask Cid tonight at the bar, he's promised to be there." Yuffie told her, and tried to begin her story again.

"He said he might bring his wife" Tifa spoke. Yuffie sighed and glanced at her friend. "Oh, you can continue."

"His wife?" Kairi gasped. Both Tifa and Yuffie looked at Kairi. "Okay, okay…"

"Anyway…" Yuffie leaned onto the table, her hands moving as she spoke. She paused a moment, as if waiting for her friends to interrupt her. The girls giggled, and she continued.

"So, this guy chased Demyx all around town, pissed off as hell, and eventually Demyx high tailed it to the mansion. Xigbar and the others saved his ass, and then Xiggy proposed fighting for Demyx's life – tomorrow, he's gonna face this big baddy down, and whoever wins decides Demyx's fate."

"Wow" Tifa grinned.

"Funny thing is, I met some of that tough guy's friends." Yuffie grinned. "They're as crazy as we are. Imagine me, Marluxia, and Xaldin all being friends with somebody as violent as Saix."

The three girls shared a bewildered look.

"WOW!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Yuna watched as the conversations continued, and the summit continued, and everyone seemed to be coming to a conclusion of peace. The summit had gone well the past few days, some worlds having already signed peace treaties with other worlds.

Now, most of the propositions being shown to the summit were about how to handle damage control, how to build a universal way of travel, how to manage a new, universal civilization. Yuna liked those proposals.

She did not like this one.

"My friends!" Yuna saw Rikku sneer in the corner of her eyes. Both of them knew that Hojo did not have friends.

The slimy, old scientist type was waving his hands about in the air, glasses cracked, a wide grin on his face.

"What I present to you… is top secret. Something not even the leaders of my world know"

"Yeah, cause if they did, they'd stop you" Rikku muttered.

"My … scientists" Yuna saw he'd stopped himself from saying underlings. "and I have been researching the past, and the way the worlds once were."

"As we all know, thousands and thousands of years ago, the worlds were all connected, and light shined bright on all. Until the jealously of human rage tore the light apart, the universe was unparalleled in its beauty and power."

"I wish for us all to attain that level of power and stature once again. Behold, the high point of my studies – the focal point of old society."

"The doors were all created to be balanced. But on what were they balanced, I wondered? I now have concluded that the four doors of Light, Darkness, Midnight, and Sunrise were to the north, east, west, and south of the universal center, and at that center was once the heart of the universe – Kingdom Hearts"

"Until recently, Kingdom Hearts was present on a world called The World That Never Was; that world is no more, so now, where is the great… Kingdom Hearts?"

"Until Kingdom Hearts is present at the center of the universe again, we cannot have true peace, or true equality and light for all"

Scowling, deep down, Yuna knew this was all to butter up the crowd; Hojo never cared about things like peace and equality.

"You may ask, what is the center of the universe? And how would we attempt to find Kingdom Hearts, and return it to its throne?"

Hojo stepped past the other men on his platform, to a computer at the side. Pushing a few buttons, he stepped back and threw his arm out in the direction of a huge television screen above everyone.

"Behold, the Heart of the Universe –"

The screen, at first, was snowy, and static, but after a few seconds, it began to clear. First, all that was shown were dark clouds, and lightning could be heard in the distance. Yuna squinted to see through the dark, as the camera was lowered through into a rainy land.

It was lonely and desolate, an enormous castle floating in the middle of the sky. Rain saturated it, and fallen pillars and destroyed homes covered it. It resembled the destruction of Zanarkand, or of Hollow Bastion.

Yet, it was much sadder; so much more melancholy, almost as if Edgar Allan Poe had sat upon the castle's throne to weep and write his lines.

The voices of the camera men gasping in surprise and laughing happily could be heard. Then, they were silenced as a stroke of lightning flashed across the sky.

Hojo seemed even more proud, and arrogant. Yuna hated him. "My friends, I give you – "

"The Fallen Kingdom!"


	3. Hanging at the Bar, Part One

**THANK YOU, KEYOFRA!**

**Guys, check out KeyOfRa's youtube account. She made a trailer for Axelerate! It's awesome!**

**(I realized I misspelled Larxene's human name in the first chapter; it's Lerean, not Lelean. Though that's what it would be in Japanese)**

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The streets were full and bustling, with friends and strangers pushing through the crowd; stragglers disappearing into stores and outlets, stopping by news station to learn about the latest summit developments. He glided through everything as twilight made its decent on the city, and the daylight crowd returned home. The night crowd was approaching; the summit workers going out for a drink, police men patrolling the crowds, business men rushing to the summit for night dealings. And there he was, floating through the midst of it, a denizen of darkness like no other, red eyes flickering in the light.

A voice was floating through the back of his head. It became a sharp call, diving through his thoughts to the forefront of his mind. _Servant _

_**Yes, my master? **_

A smile that might frighten the roughest of opponents came over the man's cool, soft lips. A child, holding hands with his mother as they walked home, happened to glimpse it, and his eyes grew wide with a gasp. "Momma! Momma!"

_You are looking for the boy, correct?_

_**Yes, my master**_

The word master seemed to roll off his tongue with a playful lull, and his dark hair fell over his eyes as he walked.

_He's outside the summit. I can see him from my office window, with his silver haired friend._

_**Ah, yes. The one I haven't met. I will have to introduce myself. I will await their arrival at the Clock Tower Tavern. It will be … interesting.**_

The dark enigma gave a small, chilling chuckle, cutting off his connection with the female he called master, just before hearing her shrill groan.

_Alucard!_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

From his window above the forest, a blonde boy rested his head in his arms, sitting quietly on the bench. His blue eyes wandered the tree tops, and with a blink, he attempted to move his feet.

"Don't move!" The girl sitting behind him stomped her small foot, which wasn't a large gesture, but the boy stopped moving. He rolled his eyes and continued to sit very still.

"Almost done, Namine?" Grinning slightly, Roxas tried to look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah ah ah!" Namine told him, and he looked back out to the woods. "I'll be done before tonight's party."

"Ah!" Roxas groaned. "Xigbar and Xemnas are already partying!"

"You said you wouldn't complain!" Namine frowned. Roxas sighed deeply.

Picking up a black brush, Namine continued gentle strokes on the canvas before her. Roxas didn't really mind waiting it out, but it was more interesting to give Namine a hard time. Besides that, he knew she'd return the favor when she took at least an hour just to get ready to go. The tavern was across town, away from the summit, so they would definitely be late. He didn't really mind though. The painting meant a lot to Namine; she'd never drawn anything from reality, only memory, or dreams. So, to be able to finish the painting in time to show the others was important to her, and if he could help, he would.

"All right, you can go" Namine sighed with a little smile on her lips.

"Huh? You're done?"

"No, but all I have left are the shading. I can do that from memory" Namine smiled, very pleased. Her hands were paint covered, along with the white smock she was wearing. "It may take me a while to get clean" She laughed nervously.

"I figured" Roxas stood and stretched, his muscles sore. "I'm gonna go downstairs. When you're ready, we'll leave"

"Wait" Namine called for him. Roxas glanced over his shoulder. "Marluxia and Larxene are about to leave. You're not… leaving with them?"

Laughing, Roxas shook his head and waved as he left. "Do you really have to ask?"

With that, he closed the door behind him, giving Namine privacy to get ready. The girl smiled, holding her hands over her heart as she bit her lip. "Okay, time to finish" She whispered, lifting her shading brush. When her eyes finally looked up to the painting of Roxas leaning over the window, her heart almost skipped a beat.

"I think I should draw him more" Namine grinned as her brush hit the paper.

Roxas sauntered down the steps, hearing the sounds of video games downstairs. Someone was cheering, obviously winning.

"Hey, Roxas!"

_You can't turn your back on the organization!_

_**No one would miss me.**_

_I would._

Grinning, Roxas ran down the rest of the stairs. At the base, a red head was leaning against the railing, and when Roxas past him, they gave each other a high five and grinned. "Hey, Axel"

"Hey yourself" Axel looked up the stairs. "Namine coming?"

"She has to finish her painting first, then she's gotta get clean" Roxas collapsed on a nearby chair. Larxene was spread over the sofa, reading of course. At the television, both Demyx and Marluxia were dancing away, playing the new favorite video game of the organization, Dance Dance Revolution. Even Xemnas could be tempted by the game. Vexen seemed to be the only one in the organization with no coordination. Roxas saw Demyx was winning, but not by a lot.

"Ha! You missed!" Demyx laughed as they danced away. Marluxia leaned over and gave the boy a small shove. "Hey! Cheater!" Marluxia laughed and dodged Demyx's half hearted shove.

"So, it'll be a while" Roxas told Axel as the boy leaned over the sofa. Larxene glanced up at him, but ignored him. "You guys can go on ahead"

"No way!" Demyx retorted. "I'm winning!"

"Not for long!" Marluxia laughed, keeping up easily. He glanced over his shoulder. "We'll wait with you, Roxas"

"So, you got a job?" Axel began, walking over to the mini fridge. Over his voice, Demyx was cheering, as Marluxia fell to his knees, shaking his head. Larxene laughed at him.

"Yeah – delivering mail" Roxas chuckled, taking a soda from Axel. "You?"

"Oh, I got a special job – directly from Xemnas" Roxas was surprised, listening intently. So where the others, who had only heard that last piece of the conversation.

"What?" Demyx asked, curious. "What do you mean?"

Grinning, Axel waved his arms; his body always moved with his lips when he told stories. "It's like this – I'm inconspicuous, for a simple reason – I look like every average punk teenager. Dark clothes, body art, crazy, colored hair; I fit right in. Everybody ignores me cause they think I'm some druggie kid. So I can get all sorts of information, easy."

"The Twilight Town governments kinda stretched with all that's going on, but they're keeping an eye on us. And Xemnas is being a good little boy, but of course, Organization XIII doesn't answer to anybody. So, I'm his link to the outside world. Xemnas isn't allowed within ten feet of the summit – so I'm his eyes and ears." With a wide smirk, Axel leaned on the sofa. "Pretty cool, huh!"

"Man, you're like a ninja! Why don't I get cool missions like that?" Demyx pouted as Marluxia loaded another video game.

"You're such a dork, Demyx" Larxene shook her head and kept reading.

"Roxas!" The attention of the room switched to the stairs. Namine was in a bath robe, having just gotten out of the shower. "Telephone for you!"

"Huh?" Roxas gave a look to Axel. "Why would anyone call the house phone for me?" He asked as he stood and raced up the stairs to the phone.

"Don't ask me, man" Axel muttered, taking another sip of his soda. But it was empty, as he soon realized. Axel glanced down at Roxas' soda; with a quick move, he switched his soda with the one on the table.

Roxas took the phone from Namine and covered the receiver. "Who is it?" He asked. Namine shrugged.

"I don't know it's some guy" She looked very confused, and then turned to get ready. "I'm almost done, be down in a few!" With that, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Almost tentatively, Roxas looked over the phone and brought it to his ears.

"– Hello?" He murmured. All he could hear on the phone was breathing. It was kind of creepy. "Hello?"

Click –

"Hello?" Roxas leaned away from the phone and looked it at. "Hello?" No one was there. With a sigh, he hung it on the receiver and began running back down.

"Who was it?" Axel asked.

"Nobody they hung up –"

RING!

Roxas stopped running, his hand on the banister. Looking over his shoulder, the boy frowned. Axel looked up at the phone as he drank the last drops of Roxas' soda. "Weird" he mumbled.

Namine came out of the bathroom to answer the phone again, but Roxas got there first. He nodded to her, and Namine returned to getting ready. Hesitating to answer, Roxas gave a small sigh and hit the receiver. "Hello?"

This time, behind the breathing, there was shuffling, stifled noises. "The – the –"

"Who the hell is this?" Roxas demanded, getting impatient.

"The blonde one will die first"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Roxas's breath hitched in his throat. "What?"

Breathing again, and then a low voice. "The blonde one will die first. You see him? He's… smiling… isn't he?"

Roxas was gripping the phone hard, his knuckles white. Namine came out of the bathroom, dressed, and brushing her hair. "Hey, Roxas what – Roxas?"

Gripping the railing, Roxas leered at the air. "Is that why you asked for me?" He seethed, grinding his teeth.

"Not you. The other one"

Roxas' eyes danced around the room. There was Larxene and Namine, they were blonde, but the mysterious voice had said "he". The only other male blonde in the room was…

Down below, as they played one of Marluxia's newest games, Demyx was grinning, losing badly, but enjoying it the entire time. Patting him on the shoulder, Marluxia laughed with him, even as they both were doing terrible. Racing games were not their forte.

Roxas turned his attention back to the phone. "I see him. What do you want?"

For the first time since he'd answered the phone, the breathing stopped. Roxas waited for an answer. Then, there was the sound of shuffling, and the voice returned.

"Where will you be tonight?"

"Why should I tell you?" Roxas's frown became deeper.

"I can't help you if you don't help me"

"Eat shit" With that, Roxas slammed the phone down on the receiver and stomped back down the stairs. He was steaming, his face red, fists clenched. When he arrived at the landing, he looked up… and saw everyone staring at him. Demyx had been staring so long that his car had crashed on screen, and was smoking, about to catch on fire.

"Uh…" Roxas shrugged, scratching his neck. "Telemarketer"

The people in the room all seem to look at one another, like "what the hell"? Demyx just shrugged.

"Okay" he spoke, and turned back to the game. "Wait! – Hey! My car!" Hands flying, Demyx realized he'd achieved last place with his awesome, car – into – coffee shop feat. Roxas laughed, shaking his head.

"Always count on you, Demyx" He whispered.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Namine came down the steps in nice clothes; a khaki skirt and blue shirt covered in clouds (the thing, not the person, mind you), holding the canvas covered in a sheet. Roxas smiled at her as she came down; she was radiant, happiness setting her aglow.

"I'm ready!" She chirped, very excited.

"All right" Axel set down his fifth coke and headed to the door, putting on his leather jacket.

"Aw, man, I finally had em!" Demyx sobbed. Marluxia laughed and turned off the machine.

"Another time, Demyx" He smiled, looking to Larxene. The girl gave him a look. He returned it with a pleading gaze. Rolling her eyes, Larxene slammed her book down, and stood, still in her organization attire. "That won't work" He told her, smirking. In a flash, darkness surrounded the blonde, and her cloak became black capris and a rock t shirt.

"Happy?" Larxene asked as she stepped out the door.

"This would make me happier" He grinned, flicking his finger towards her. Darkness surrounded her behind, and the pants became tighter. Both Axel and Marluxia grinned, and the blonde flicked them off.

With a strike of lightning, the boys were put in their places, and Larxene fixed her clothes. Groaning on the floor, Axel and Marluxia sat in a heap. Larxene leaned over them with a smirk fixated on her features.

Namine took light hold of Roxas's hand shyly, and smiled at him. He nodded and they looked to their friends.

"Coming?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The streets were beautiful, the street light soft and dim. Laughter filled the air, and as usual, some sort of party was happening, small fire works firing off here and there, and life passing them by.

Larxene scowled at them, but the scowl died and she sighed. She could not be jealous of the humans for living the lives they were given; even if hers was stolen away.

"Come on, Lerean!" Demyx grinned, calling over his shoulder. "Hurry up you're lagging" Larxene frowned at her human name, and shook her head.

"When are the others coming?" Axel asked.

Roxas shrugged.

"Who knows?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Her body was soft and warm in his arms. So small and delicate, yawning cutely. He chuckled at her as she shifted in his arms, and mentally, he almost jumped. If she had moved too much, or if his arms had moved, and she…

"Even" The voice of reason calmed him. "It's all right, she's okay"

A bit flustered, Vexen looked down to his wife sitting in bed, their young boy Rin in her arms. He was still awake; he was much shyer and more dependent on his mother. As for Vixen, the girl, she found adventure around every corner, following her father wherever he go.

Glancing back down to the girl in his arms, Vexen smiled softly. "Yes … she's fine"

Something about watching the man she loved cradle their child gently in his arms, all flustered and worried, warmed the gentlest feelings in Ariel's heart. Giggling, she looked down at Rin. "Oh, look at daddy; he's so silly, isn't he?" She giggled, holding her son's hands as he cooed up at her. She could tell her husband was giving her a look, and she only just glanced up to see it. Rolling his eyes at her, Vexen sat beside her in bed.

"I'll stay here" He told her.

"No, go have fun" Ariel smiled softly at her husband. "Only one of us is required to watch the kids."

"But you can't run after them" Vexen argued.

"But they don't run around mama" Smiling, Ariel drew a hand up to her husband's face, tracing the cheek bone.

"Do not blame yourself for this. You saved me. Not all is lost" Whispering against his ear, Ariel lifted her lips to his cheek, kissing his skin gently. As he watched his parents, Rin cooed, sitting very still in mother's lap.

Vexen sighed. His hand went up to his wife's hand on his cheek, holding it gently. "Let me finish my report. I'll get you anything you want then I'll go"

"Honey" Laughing slightly, Ariel shook her head at him. "I've lost my legs, not my brain" Giggling at him, Ariel looked back at her son. "Isn't daddy so silly?"

Laughing at her and their children, Vexen set Vixen by her mother, and stood. Striding over to his desk, he sat down to finish the last few sentences of his report.

… _It was an unknown liability of our love, and I did all I could to reverse the effects. I found a cure to the condition, but due to severe complications of the situation and interruptions at that time, I was not able to transfer all the medicine to my wife in time. _

_I thank any and all gods that she is still alive, for I don't know what I'd do without Ariel, or our children. But the disease that almost cost my human wife her life instead destroyed her ability to move. The nerves in her legs were destroyed during the delivery of our children, twins Rin and Vixen._

_I hope this information is somehow useful to you all at the summit. I only regret I am not allowed to join._

_Even "Vexen" Chill, Number Four, the Chilly Academic_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The Clock Tower Tavern was a new addition to the old Twilight Town, resting right above the hill and the sandlot, near the clock tower and the tram. It was started and owned by a married couple, but the rocky marriage ended and the husband no longer could afford to keep the Tavern. It was sold to another young twosome, but these two were siblings, who turned the once dirty bar into a much cleaner, much better drinking and dining experience. It was one of the best places to eat and drink and celebrate in town, since it was out of the summit area and restricted to Twilight Town residents only.

Even so, that did not help Ienzo "Zexion" Schemer feel any better since he would be working, while his friends played at the very place he worked.

He had been desperate; to keep up the expensive lifestyle the organization was use to, each member had to be employed, and yet some had failed to be. Having had trouble finding a job, Zexion turned to the last place he thought he'd go: Bartending.

He was good at it, he always had been, though he'd had to keep it under wraps while living with Ansem the Wise; he wouldn't of approved, though Braig had thought it hilarious. Now Zexion was regretting taking the job; all of his friends and allies were getting together to talk, and he had to work and serve them as they did.

Bummer.

Xigbar and Xemnas arrived first; Xemnas looked a bit aggravated about something, but if Zexion knew Xigbar like he thought he did, it wouldn't take him long to knock Xemnas out of his mood. Both were smiling and Xigbar was laughing as they walked in, taking a seat at the bar.

"Well, hey there, stranger" Xigbar grinned, looking to the shorter blue haired man.

"Don't start" Zexion smirked a little, only slightly jarred. Xigbar held his hands up in submission; that grin still spreading ear to ear.

"Well, at least you're here working with us, instead of working someplace else huh?"

"If you look at it that way" Xemnas mumbled, looking around the room.

"You'll have the usual, right?" Zexion smirked, cleaning glasses. Xigbar side glanced at Xemnas.

"Sure"

It was Zexion's turn to grin. Oh, the memories. "One Bloody Mary for the Superior" He smiled and walked towards the clean glasses.

"And something hard for me! I wanna be on my ass by the end of the night, yah!" Xigbar cheered, laughing heavily. Xemnas was crouched over the bar, yet he was smiling.

The door opened, and all three sets of eyes shot up. No, it was simply a young couple coming in for dinner. Xigbar gave a heavy, sarcastic sigh and fell with a thump onto Xemnas' slouching back.

"Oh, Xemmy! Where art thou, our friends?" He sobbed, doing his best to get on Xemnas' nerves. Luckily for the leader, he'd had enough years of living with Xigbar to be able to easily deal with him.

"Calm down, number two, you're scaring Zexion's customers away" It was true, in a way. But then, very few people occupied the bar.

"I'll have to throw you out" Zexion grinned a little, in his dark way.

"Ha, you haven't got the balls" Xigbar roared, taking his liquor from Zexion's outstretched hand. Half of it was gone with one gulp. Xemnas sipped his drink lightly, stirring the celery that was sticking out of the drink.

The door opened again, and both Xigbar and Zexion looked back; Xemnas didn't bother. Grinning, Xigbar waved and nodded his friend over.

"Bout time, old man!" He smiled broadly.

Dressed in a doctor's uniform, Vexen stepped into the room with two armloads of bags. Xemnas and Xigbar stepped up to help him, as he was practically tripping because of the weight. Xigbar even had trouble lifting one bag. "… the hell? What is this, solid steel?"

"They're gifts, from my wife" Vexen's tired lips spread into a smile. "For the kids"

"The kiddy kids, the kids, or the Kids?" Xigbar asked. Vexen blinked.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about" He retorted.

Zexion burst out laughing, a strange thing for him to do. But Vexen always did that to him; he had this way of being so serious, so fixed in his ways that he would do things that seemed just so… weird. Even when he was a child, Even had fascinated Ienzo. Vexen looked up at the sound of Zexion's voice.

"Zexion" He breathed. "Didn't know you were here"

"I work here" He told him. Vexen nodded and smirked with that, "I know how it is" look.

"Sorry"

"It's fine"

"What Xigbar means is, are those for the children, or for all the humans?" Xemnas interpreted his second in command easily. It had been an essential ability during their years working together. Almost as if it were yesterday, Xemnas could remember being Ansem's apprentice, and having been baffled when Xigbar told him "Hand me that there thingamawhatits so I can fix that thingy I broke before Lord Dude gets back and walks all up and down my ass". Yeah. He was an odd one.

"For Sora, and some of the younger ones. I think they're might just be something for everyone, though. She told me she felt sorry that she wasn't getting out to see everyone" Vexen explained, taking a rum and coke from Zexion.

Xigbar gave Vexen a startled look. "Just gave birth to twins and survived a deadly disease, and she feels bad? The hell, we should go see her!"

Laughing, Vexen patted the man on the shoulder. "You do go see her, everyday" Zexion commented. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept an eye out for his boss. "She does live with us"

"I'm sayin', the others should come see her, and I'm sure they want to." Xigbar looked to the door. "Too bad she's missing tonight. Hey! We could take this party back to the house"

"Oh lord" Xemnas sighed, shaking his head. Xigbar gave him a look.

"Hell, not like you're the housewife in this situation" Xigbar puffed up his bottom lip, his thumb jabbed towards his chest. It seemed he were proud to be the "housewife" of the organization.

And at that moment, the door swung open.


	4. Sora Kidnapped? Why Does No One Notice?

He was distracted. Only he could tell he was, as on the outside, he was the same as ever; aloof, eyes wandering. Yet he could not focus. His mind kept jumping back to the mansion, and the phone call…

"Roxas?"

Shaking his head, the boy looked to the girl whose hand he was holding. "Yeah?"

Namine looked him over, eyes darting about. "You okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired"

"If you want to go home, we can" She told him.

Laughing, Roxas shook his head. "After all that work on that painting? No, you're gonna go show that thing off" Namine blushed, tightening her grip on his hand slightly.

"Thank you" She smiled, nodding to him.

"Hey, Love Birds" Axel cat called from the front, waving. "We're here!"

The two kids looked to one another with wide grins. "Let's go" Namine smiled, tugging her friend along. Roxas did not fight, finding his distracted mind was finally being reeled in. Of course, his thoughts were dark and floating in the back of his mind, waiting to be brooded on in the dark of night.

Bowing as if he were a servant, Axel pushed the door open. Roxas and Namine stepped through, grinning ear to ear. Demyx went to step in, and failed to notice Axel's outstretched foot. So, the boy fell face first to the floor. Axel was smirking all the while, and when Marluxia made to enter the Tavern, Axel closed the door in his face.

Frowning, Marluxia swung the door open again.

Inside, very few sat at the bar and the tables, but Marluxia easily recognized his group. Axel was sheepishly helping Demyx off the floor, grinning all the while as Demyx pouted and complained. Roxas and Namine were greeting Xigbar, who had stood to meet them, Vexen, tired and worn, Xemnas, almost asleep at the bar, and Zexion, who was still working his shift.

"Evening" Marluxia greeted, stepping up behind Demyx and Axel. He flicked Axel's head, but the red head grinned and ducked. Even so, he did not suspect the double team from the blonde woman behind him. In moments, he was sizzling on the floor, an electric like surge streaming through his spiky hair.

"Hey, kiddos" Xiggy greeted with a wave and a smirk. "Weird, huh? First time we've ever met without the "suit and tie" Organization cloaks, huh?"

Roxas looked at the street clothes Xigbar wore, the doctor uniform on Vexen, Xemnas' long white robe, and Zexion's work clothes. His own clothes were similar to his usual Twilight Town garb; Namine wore a school uniform.

As for Axel, he wore the usual punkish garb, and Demyx looked like a preppy band boy. Marluxia actually looked like a normal person, and Larxene was dressed as her usual apathetic, gothic self.

"Good to see you" Xemnas lifted his glass in greeting as Vexen spoke. Namine ran up to him.

"I brought something to show everyone!" She cheered eyes bright. A smile cracked Vexen's lips; he saw, in Namine's bright eyes, a resemblance to Kairi.

"Aw, damn, and here I thought you had something for me!" Xigbar pouted sarcastically. Zexion gave him a look, and Namine rolled her eyes, yet she didn't stop smiling. Pulling the cloth off her work of art, she lifted the painting up for everyone to see.

"Oh, oh! Back up, so everyone can see!" Xigbar told her with the wave of his arm. Namine back up, holding either side as Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene crowded around the others to look at the painting. Roxas stood at Namine's side, proud, and a little embarrassed.

"Well, shucks, it's awesome, but, is it abstract? I mean, who the hell's that thing in the middle?" Xigbar teased. Both Namine and Roxas threw him looks.

"It's Roxas, dumbass" Axel laughed, ordering something from the bar. Zexion wasn't in a rush to get it he seemed to truly appreciate the art.

"Excuse me, but may I see it?"

Namine looked up to see an older man in coat and hat looking down at her; he spoke with an accent similar to Luxord's, and held the corner of his red hat down a bit to cover part of his face. Roxas frowned; he didn't like him.

Namine didn't seem to share his sentiment, but perhaps that was because of her eagerness to show her painting. Turning towards him, she stepped up next to Roxas and held the painting for the man to see. The man stood told, looking it over with dark eyes. Roxas' eyebrow quirked. Why did those red eyes look familiar?

The man smiled genuinely, which seemed something he didn't do often; his mouth was more suited for a smirk, or a small grin. "I've seen my share of art in my lifetime, and I must say, you do have talent, miss. Why, it's a striking image of Roxas"

Namine's eyes grew wide and she turned to Roxas. The boy was now grinning.

"It's him – the vampire, remember?" Grinning in realization, Roxas laughed. "Alucard!"

Ditching the hat, the tall handsome man bowed reverently, and Roxas chuckled some more. The others in the room seemed to notice his presence, recognizing him, yet of course, one member didn't know him.

"Uh, who the hell's this?" Axel asked rudely. Roxas turned to him.

"Oh yeah – the whole 'Save Axel' thing" Vexen mumbled, remembering why Axel hadn't been around.

"Huh" Axel smirked, leaning against the bar. "So, somebody I didn't meet because I was asleep, right?"

Namine nodded. "This is Alucard – he's a vampire. He helped us save you."

"I see. Well, thanks man" Axel grinned and saluted the vampire. Alucard's eyes were inquiring, as he looked around the room.

"You are still missing many of your party, and I feel some will be late" Alucard surmised. Namine seemed to be very relaxed around him; she agreed with him.

"I think Sora's on the other side of town"

Alucard looked down to her. "Do you have any more work, Namine?" He asked her. Somehow, his dark demeanor had seemed to soften. The girl removed her drawing pad from her bag. Of course, it was a new one;

She'd given her old one to Kairi.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Wrapping the scarf around her neck a little tighter, Kairi watched as they breath she sighed turned white and faded away. She was walking alone from her small apartment on Sunset Hill to the Tavern, and though it wasn't far away, she was dragging her feet to keep from arriving on time.

What was wrong with her?

Sora was alive; and so was everyone else. The door to Light had been opened, everything was better. So why couldn't she be happy? Why did she feel ashamed at the very idea of being happy? There was nothing to be ashamed about. Kairi had earned what she'd received, worked hard, prayed long, hoped, and prayed for so long. So why feel so wispy, as if the wind would blow everything away and her with it? Why feel so lost, as if everything inside were disappearing into a black hole? Her feet would not support her, kept falling out from under her.

Sighing, Kairi turned her eyes out to the moon. She wondered where Kingdom Hearts was. That thought sent a pain through her chest.

Somehow, the idea that there were six others out there, feeling as she did, did not make her feel better.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Yawning, Sora looked up at the sky. He'd been working for a couple of hours, and had finally ended his shift. His body was sore, but he was fulfilled, glad he was of use to someone for a few hours. It was strange, not world hopping, actually having a bed to sleep in at night, a place to go to every day. No adventures ahead. At least not right now.

Stepping out into the streets, Sora began the long trek across town, fighting the urge to use Drive Form to zip around and get there faster. Leon would have his head. _That's for fighting Heartless, not joy riding… _Well, the Heartless were gone. The door to Light had made sure of that.

Sora's feet stepped through water. He kept walking. Somehow, he could hear a jingle, like that of a music box, from somewhere far off. Even with only the beat in his ears, he somehow knew the words that accompanying the piece.

_Every little light in the sky shines down on us_

_People make the mistake of thinking it shines for them_

_But not us; the light shines for the people_

_And we shine in the light_

_Holding each other's hands as we sleep tonight_

_I know it's hard to understand_

_And I'll miss holding your hand_

Sora blinked. He didn't know that song; weird. Maybe it was a lullaby he'd known as a child. So, he continued walking, absentmindedly still humming the little song from the music box he could hear down the street.

_And we shine in the light_

_I know the stars are far away and seem small_

_But they really aren't at all_

_I know they are little specks in the sky, but hold on tight_

_My little Prince of Light _

It was a sweet song. Smiling, Sora thought of Kairi. He wanted to see her; they'd been so busy, he hadn't had as much time to be with her. He anticipated meeting her that night.

Something white whizzed by Sora's face. The boy blinked and swatted at it, yet missed. Frowning, the boy raced after it. "Hey! Wait!" It looked like a little nobody, a little hand sized thing that bobbed in the air the kind of creature girls would think was cute.

Sora was right on its tail, about to grab it, it was so close –

Suddenly, Sora felt his hood choke him, pulling him back, and scraping against his neck. The boy snapped back, and was pulled by the hood into a doorway rather quickly. The door snapped shut behind him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sora had been through many things. Some things he'd gone through were rather strange. But he'd always survived. Still, even as he wracked his brain, Sora could not think of a time he'd been kidnapped.

Sighing, the boy rubbed his sore neck and sat up, blinking tiredly. He could see at least five blurry shapes standing before him, dressed in black. Almost right ahead of him, he saw a really messy head of orange hair.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The door swung open, and in walked a familiar face. Namine smiled. "Kairi! Look who we found!" The red head looked up, having been concentrating on the floor.

"Oh" She smiled. "Hello, Alucard"

"A pleasure" He spoke with a soothing tone, his fangs poking out from behind his smiling lips.

Almost as soon as Kairi entered the bar, the door swung open again; a larger crowd came in, all carrying rather large loads of shopping bags, as if they'd been at the mall all day. Kairi smiled to see some of her close friends and grinned when Namine happily raced over to see them.

"Hey guys!" Tifa came in dressed in a blue shirt and skirt, bags draped over her arms. Her face was flushed, probably from laughter and her eyes bright with happiness. Just behind her, Vincent walked in her shadow, dressed in his usual dark fashion. Kairi glanced up at Alucard from the corner of her eye; yup, he was eyeing Vincent with curiosity.

"Hey, Tifa! How's it going, girly?" Xigbar greeted, taking her in a hug. He politely took her bags and set them by the table everyone was now occupying. The bar was much too small for everyone. For behind Tifa and Vincent came others.

Zexion grinned at the site of Roxas and Namine leaping onto Cloud as he entered, very glad to see him. The boy managed to smile a little, and Namine excitedly revealed her painting to him. Yuffie still dressed in her work garb, leapt in and attacked Kairi, very happy to see the girl. The both of them fell on Alucard, who grinned evilly and gave Yuffie a fright. Zexy had to laugh.

"Hey, ladies and gents gather round and meet the universe's … most beautiful woman!"

All eyes turned back to the door. Cid was the one boasting loudly, his usual cigarette in hand and a wide grin on his face. His arm was draped around a woman's shoulder a woman Kairi guessed must be his wife. She was gorgeous, and Kairi smiled at the idea of them being together. They were a cute couple.

The woman was blushing, smacking Cid's side playfully. The blonde just grinned and winked at her. Xigbar stepped up.

"Gotta say, I agree man; she's one fine woman. _May I have this dance_?" Being his usual silly self, Xigbar twirled her around as she giggled, and landed in Cid's arms.

"Meet Shera"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Hey guys! I REALLY wanted this chapter to be longer, and I wanted to make a huge revelation occur in the next chapter, BUT… that will be delayed to chapter five. This would've been longer, but I'm leaving town, and I wanted to leave you guys with something, even if it's not that long.**

**I hope you enjoy it, and next time:**

_**Meet Cid's Wife!**_

_**Leon becomes shitfaced!**_

_**Sora has been kidnapped by an orange headed teenager! **_**You guessed it!**_** … It's Peter Pan! Okay, no its not.**_

**Anyway… Bleach fans will adore the next chapter, Final Fantasy VII fans will adore the next chapter… anyone with a funny bone will adore the next chapter.**

**Wishing she was already back from vacation,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	5. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Secrets

"Meet Shera"

Shera wore glasses, and had her auburn hair back in a bun. She was Cid's perfect other, his opposite, as she seemed shy and meek, and Cid was certainly not. Blushing and happy by her husband's side, Shera walked in and waved, greeting those around her. Cloud nodded to her; Tifa smiled, and Yuffie grinned with a wave, as if they were all greeting an old friend. Vincent nodded to her, and Shera drifted over to his side. It seemed, just like her husband, the woman was closer to Vincent than most.

Kairi smiled at the happy group, as Cid and Xigbar joked back and forth and began dragging tables together; Roxas was bringing over some chairs, and Zexion was passing drinks out at the bar. Sighing, the girl ran a hand over her dark ringed eyes and through her matted hair. She hadn't been sleeping well.

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Namine asked, walking over to her. Nodding, Kairi leaned forward; examining the item in her other's hand.

"It's really nice. There's almost a shade of… Sora in there" Namine smiled.

"I think I want to make a series; I want to draw everyone in the Organization, and then the Restoration group, and then people we've met. I think it would be nice to get a softer side of each of our friends, since we don't always see each other anymore."

"That's a nice idea" Kairi passed a hand over the paint lightly, without touching, and her eyes danced about the canvas. "Hey Namine? Have you felt… different lately?" The blonde blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Setting the painting back beneath its protective covering, Namine stepped over to the now very large, very noisy table. Everyone was taking a seat, so Kairi followed suit, taking a chair by Namine.

"Well… I just haven't felt like myself recently. I don't know. Maybe it's just me." Smiling weakly Kairi ordered a soda from Zexion as he passed around. The poor fellow was being teased by Marluxia and Axel, but at least Demyx was on his side.

"You aren't the only one acting different" Namine told her, turning to her friend. Neither one stood when the door came open. "Roxas has been a little edgy tonight"

"Really?" Kairi waved as she spoke to Namine, watching Saix and Mitsuka come in. Namine turned a little to smile at them, still listening to Kairi. "I wonder what's been bothering him. I haven't seen him in a while"

"We've all been busy. Poor Yuna has had to almost orchestrate the entire summit, since many other officials have backed down. King Triton refused to leave his world at the moment, since his daughter is having a baby, and Gaia is busy rebuilding – they don't even have an official government yet. Many other worlds backed out too, for various reasons, so the only help Lady Yuna has is –"

"The aide of a certain Sir Integra Fairbrooks Wingates Hellsing" A voice murmured. Namine and Kairi turned to the speaker.

"You know her, Alucard?" Namine asked curiously.

Nodding, the red eyed man left the shade to stand by the girls. "My Master, Sir Hellsing, is the sole member of the Hellsing family, and the leader of the Hellsing Organization. I am her … _humble _… servant, and though our numbers have thinned as late, we still find it invaluable to aid with the summit. Our world recently suffered war, but do you see Sir Hellsing backing away? No,"

Namine and Kairi shared a look. "Sounds like a cool guy"

"Woman actually" Namine smiled. Kairi blinked in surprise.

"Then why the title?"

"An honor given to my master by the Queen of our country" Answering briefly, Alucard turned to Zexion. The man paused and Alucard gave him his order.

"A pint of the … special order" He told the blue haired bartender. Zexion didn't seem bothered, and continued on his way.

Kairi watched him go. _Special order…? _Namine had her head cocked to the side. Grinning ear to ear, Alucard leaned down between the girls and whispered quietly.

"_Blood_"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Groaning, the boy rubbed his temples. Sora was surprised to find his arms weren't bound. Uncrossing his legs, the boy made to stand.

"Don't move" A deep voice reprimanded him, and Sora found a blade pointed at his throat.

"Come now, don't frighten him, we're friends" A light hearted male voice laughed and tried to reason with his friend. The first voice grumbled, but Sora felt the weight leave his neck.

His dark view became clearer as he blinked, and rubbed his eyes. Sitting up, Sora looked around.

To the very front of him, and a little to the left, stood a tall boy with striking orange hair. His eyes were angry and determined, his extremely large, Cloud – like sword hung limp at his side. His clothing was black, and Japanese like.

Behind him was a grinning man Sora took to be the kind voice he'd heard earlier. Dressed in green and clogs, he wore a stripped hat over his blonde hair. Beside him was a cat, sitting on his shoulder. Sora groaned and shook his head. There were more but he didn't bother looking at them

"Excuse me, hope you don't mind, but why the hell am I here!?" He shouted, grimacing.

"Just relax, we only want to talk" The blonde man in the hat spoke sweetly, kind of sugar coated.

"Cut the crap, Kisuke" The cat spoke to him. Sora blinked.

"Strange… animal…" He muttered.

The cat looked to him and blinked. Before it responded the orange haired boy stepped in front. "Look, we only need some info. A friend of mine was hurt and you can help. Now tell me what I need to know"

"Well if I knew what you needed I would tell" Sora retorted, crossing his arms in a child like demeanor.

"Ichigo, you're being a bit dense" A boy in the back spoke, a boy in glasses with dark hair.

"How the hell am I being dense? He talks, or I go to desperate measures"

"You haven't even explained anything yet" The boy tried to reason.

Just as the orange haired one Ichigo was about to retort angrily, he was knocked to the floor. The cat had leapt onto his head hard, knocking him down. Shaking its head, the cat spoke. "Moron… guess a woman has to handle this…"

Confused, Sora blinked and watched as the cat transformed… into a naked dark skinned woman. Flabbergasted, Sora turned brick red, gaped at her, and immediately covered his eyes. "KAIRI'S GONNA KILL ME!"

Many of the other men in the room had done the same, save Ichigo, who was face first to the ground. The blonde Kisuke did not bother; grinning like a pervert, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestive.

"Oh" The cat woman muttered. "Forgot about that" She stalked off into a different room, appearing a moment later. Dressed and decent, she turned to Sora, as the boys began trying to regain their dignity.

"Who are you people?" Sora gawked, the color on his face dying down. The woman smirked.

"I am Yoruichi" She bowed a bit. "Behind me is Kisuke Urahara, and the dumb ass is Ichigo" Ichigo threw her a look and tried to speak, but she ignored him. "The one in glasses is Uryu Ishida, Chad is the big one in the back" A large, dark skinned teen was leaning against the wall in the back. "And …"

"This is our friend, Orihime"

Kisuke and Yoruichi stepped away from the center. There, on a soft mat on the floor, lay an orange haired teenage girl, eyes closed, limp. Sora looked over her, and realized she was not asleep. Almost like a flashback, it reminded him of Hallow Bastion, and finding Kairi limp, empty. Having to tear himself apart to find her…

"Boy?" Yoruichi asked.

Returning from his memories, Sora nodded. "I'm Sora – Sora Yuuchou. I – I'll help. If I can…"

"Most of us here are Soul Reapers; or other forms of people who fight Hollows" Kisuke began. He added the last part when Uryu glared at him. It seemed the boy did not like being called a Soul Reaper.

"Hallows?" Sora asked, cricking his neck. It was really sore.

"Hollows" Chad corrected from his dark corner. Sora stood on tip toe to see him.

"Monsters" Ichigo put bluntly.

"Hollows are the souls of people who've passed on, but…" Yoruichi scratched her head. "How do I say this?"

"Rukia could do it if she were here" Uryu sighed.

"Shut up" Ichigo muttered, walking over to lean against the wall. Sora figured Rukia was someone Ichigo didn't like hearing about.

"Who's Rukia?" He asked.

"You're not here to ask questions" Ichigo glowered.

"But I'll have questions answered if I'm gonna help you guys" Sora retorted.

"Fine, here; Hollows are the souls of people gone bad, and they eat other souls." In a very bad mood, Ichigo stood tall again and glared down at Sora as he began to explain. "Soul Reapers fight and kill them. A few days ago, we were fighting them when this weird shit happened!"

"A black creature came out of the Hollow" Chad spoke softly.

Sora did not like were this was going. "Black…?"

"Hollows are born when a person dies; they are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of dead humans. Or humans they kill" Yoruichi added. She didn't seem to notice as Kisuke backed away, disappeared into shadow, and walked out of the room.

"So, Hollows are like Heartless" Sora spoke to himself. "But they eat souls, not hearts"

"Heartless?" Ichigo asked. "They're what I've been hearing about but nobody's told me a damn thing"

Sora walked up to the girl on the floor quietly, looking down at her. She was like a porcelain statue. If a Heartless had taken her heart… _Weren't the Heartless supposed to be gone_? Well, if one had, and her heart was not pure, nor full of light… then she was gone. But suppose she was like Kairi… could not every world have a "Princess" in its own right?

"This girl here…" Sora began. "What was she like?"

"An angel" Ichigo muttered.

"Sweet, kind, very innocent" Uryu moved nervously near the wall. "Not one I wanted to … ever see battle"

"Good girl" Yoruichi spoke softly, leaning down next to her. "Didn't know her for long, but neither did Rukia. And Rukia leapt into that thing after her…"

Ichigo slammed his fist against a wall before storming out the door. Sora looked after him in shock. "Don't be bothered by him" Chad stood and sighed. "He is very angry with himself"

"When the black thing came from the Hollow, it leapt at the closest person; Orihime – chan" Uryu came over next to the sleeping girl. "Something light and beautiful came out of her and I thought it was her soul. I suppose Rukia knew better, because when the black monster disappearing through a portal, she leapt after it. We haven't seen her in three days, and Orihime won't wake up"

Sora bit his lip. "I thought they were all gone…" He sighed, feeling his fingers itch. The Keyblade hadn't had a real battle in a while. "This has happened seven times over, but with very special people. They were all pure, with hearts full of light. One of them was a close friend of mine. It took me a year to find her"

"Because her heart was made of light, when it was taken, she didn't disappear. If you can return her heart to her body, then she will be fine. It's finding her heart that's the problem. Not to mention…" Sora sighed. "She'll have a nobody, won't she?"

"A what?" Uryu asked.

"Never mind"

"A what?" Yoruichi repeated with a stressed voice, meaning she wanted answers. "We brought you here because everyone's been raving about the Keyblade Master; and we can't let anyone know about Orihime. If the Soul Society knew about what's happened, and what Rukia's done…"

"What would happen?"

"Well, Sora, think of it this way… a world wide scandal. A Hollow that had Heartless born from it? Make that a universal scandal. We'd like to deal with this privately."

Turning away, Sora sighed and frowned. "Look, I have somewhere to be…"

"Wait a moment… Keyblade Master"

Kisuke had returned. "Why don't we trade for information, hmm?" Sora glanced over his shoulder. "We want to know how you managed to bring Kairi back, and how the Heartless work. Heartless are so fearsomely similar to Hollows, that we find we are curious. Not to mention… I'm sure this strikes your fancy doesn't it?"

He held up a photo album. Sora scanned the cover, looked it over. "It means nothing to me" The boy told him.

Smirking, Kisuke flipped through the pages. "Maybe this will"

It was a photograph the bottom corner said it was taken perhaps twenty years ago. A long haired blonde woman stood next to a silver haired man with a little stubble. They looked to be in their early twenties. Sora gawked.

Kisuke slammed the book shut. "Thought you might"

"How – where did you get that? How?"

"An old friend of a friend" Kisuke smiled. "I'm sure though, it's not nearly as interesting to you… as it is to Riku. Maybe we should ask him for help?"

Sora's eyes went wide in realization. "No… he's only finally returning to living a normal life. There's no need to throw him off balance again. I want him to stay home this time… and stay for good"

He looked much more determined when he looked up.

"What can I tell you?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Ichigo chose to walk back in just as Sora finished his explanation. Yoruichi gave him a look, and then sighed with a shake of her head. Sora rubbed his neck.

"I'm really late for my party… we can always meet again" He told them. "I can give more info later"

"Afraid that might be hard" Kisuke laughed nervously.

"Hot head here got us kicked out of the summit" Yoruichi grumbled and pointed her thumb at Ichigo. The orange haired boy turned away, to look at Uryu instead; once he noticed the boy was glaring at him too, he huffed and turned his back to the group.

"He, he… well, I could pull a few strings."

To say light came from the darkest recesses of that room in that moment would be an understatement; every person of the group grinned and almost glomped Sora. "That would be most helpful" Uryu smiled.

Ichigo didn't say a word. Out of the corner of his eye, he was looking at Orihime.

"Don't worry" Sora told him. Ichigo looked up to him. "A good friend of mine had her heart taken by the darkness. It took me a year to find it… only to find it had been there all along. She's fine now; if you stay by her side, I'm sure Orihime will come back too"

Grinning happily, Sora gave Ichigo a thumbs up for encouragement. The boy chuckled, a small smirk on his face. "Heh… thanks"

Sora was about to give his response, when a large crack came from the wooden wall behind them. Blinking, Sora turned to look at the wood. It was broken a little. "Odd…" Kisuke muttered. Uryu was standing tall, ready to draw a weapon.

Sora looked onto the wall as it splintered, shattered, and turned into a thousand pieces. Mouth gaping, the boy turned just in time to run from the mountain of wood shards and he screamed. Ichigo gawked, and leapt in to save Orihime.

From the mighty mass of falling debris came a battle cry and a strange man leapt into the room with a very large sword drawn; his pants were black, and Japanese like, but tighter. His top was red and black, like a Chinese fighting outfit, and he wore black shoes of some kind. White hair streamed behind him, as he roared. Surprised, delighted, and also very terrified, Sora screamed just as the man did.

"SOOOORAAA!"

"INU – AHHH!"

The man tripped somehow, and landed on top of the wood, which landed on top of Sora, who landed on top of poor Kisuke Urahara. He hadn't moved very fast for some reason, and Yoruichi was in the back, shaking her head at him.

"Great – who's this loser? Now the summit police will come here…" She complained. Uryu was gawking at the scene. Chad was attempted to dig Ichigo and the unconscious girl from the mass of sharp wood.

Sora shook his head, sharp wood shards flying about. A white haired man popped his head out of the wood.

"You!" He pointed the large sword at Ichigo, who was crawling from the wood. He looked like a dear in head lights. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"What for!?" The orange haired boy gawked, totally taken by surprise.

"Nobody kidnaps my friends –"

"I wasn't kidnapped!" Sora interrupted. Then, with a bright grin, he leapt on the man. "Inuyasha!"

The white haired half demon blinked and fell into the wood again when Sora leapt on his head. Prying the boy off, Inuyasha looked aggravated, and surprised. It made a strange look on his face, similar to constipation.

"What – wait, you – I saw – wait a minute!"

"Okay" Sora sighed nervously. "I was kidnapped. But it's all good! Its one of those, the kidnappers is good guys, and everybody wins, kinda… things… hehe…" Inuyasha's face was turning red. With a dark grimace, he glowered at little Sora; the boy was beginning to regret the reunion.

"Are you telling me I knocked that wall down and came to your rescue for absolutely no reason!?!?" Screaming in his ear, Inuyasha had Sora's head between his fists, rubbing them into his spiky head of hair as the boy complained loudly. Yoruichi was staring at them as if they were idiots – which they were.

"My, they're good friends, aren't they" Kisuke smirked. Yoruichi turned away and didn't bother asking. Ichigo was standing again, and the tall woman took Orihime from him.

"Thank you for your help, boy" Yoruichi bowed, and then turned away. With amazing speed, the girl disappeared into the night. Uryu glanced around at the destruction with wide eyes, then sighed, and leapt after his mentor. Chad looked to Ichigo.

"Coming?" He asked. The orange haired boy nodded.

"Go on ahead"

With a quick nod, Chad leapt away, fast on his feet for such a large man. Kisuke watched him go, a hand on his hat, and then turned to glance at Sora and Inuyasha as they bickered. Laughing, he turned to walk away.

"Don't get left behind" He muttered to Ichigo, before disappearing without a trace.

Ichigo's blue eyes stayed on Inuyasha and Sora for a minute longer.

_"Wait a minute Ichigo!"_

_"AHHHH, Ichigo!"_

_"Start thinking for once, Ichigo!"_

With a smile, the boy sent the old memories away and walked off. "Don't worry… Rukia… Orihime… I'll find you… I promise"

With that, the strangers from a strange land were gone. Only when they were did Sora and Inuyasha's yelling quieted. Cheeks red from Inuyasha pulling on them, Sora kept holding tight to Inuyasha's ears as they tussled. Then, they both stopped, and looked around. Blinking in surprise, Sora wondered aloud.

"Where did everybody go?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, you came to the summit too?"

"With my… brother" Inuyasha told Sora as they walked towards the pub. "Until recently, we've been kinda harsh to each other, but… I'm getting used to him. He's still a cold hearted jerk" Sora laughed.

"So, what was with the kidnapping thing?" Inuyasha wondered, his hands behind his head. Sora quickly explained Orihime's situation. "Jeez… bet it's the guys girlfriend"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Sora asked suddenly curious. The question seemed to take Inuyasha by surprise.

"Well…" His eyes were a little softer. "I did once. But, we were from… different worlds. She stayed with me to help me… fight this guy. A lot of stuff happened, and in the end, she went home. One good thing came outta that though, other than killing that damned bastard Naraku;" Inuyasha grinned and placed his hands in his pockets. "My best friends are getting married."

"Cool!" Sora grinned and congratulated him. "When?"

"Few months from now"

"… have you seen her since?"

Inuyasha just sighed and smiled a little. "She changed me… a lot, for the better. But, hell, just didn't work out. We were from different worlds, so I guess she got homesick…"

"Yeah" Sora sighed with a small smile. "I know how that is"

The light of the pub streaming through the windows and from beneath the door beckoned them. Sora glanced up to his friend. "Wanna join me?"

"Nah" Inuyasha grinned. "My brother will have puppies if I don't show up. He and I are the reps of our world, so he's making me help with the paper work and shit."

"Good luck with that" Sora waved as Inuyasha began running off. With demonic leaps into the air, Inuyasha waved, smirked, and called to the boy.

"See you later, Sora!"

Watching his friend disappear, Sora digested what he'd learned that night. The Heartless were back? Well, he'd never really thought they'd be gone for long… Sora frowned. A small part of him that was actually glad they were back.

Sora suddenly remembered something, and felt something in his pocket. Reaching into it, Sora found the photo the man in the hat had shown him. On the back it read:

_A friend of mine knew him; he disappeared five years ago. Last seen taking the Twilight Train to Radiant Garden._

Sora flipped the picture over. It couldn't be… it couldn't mean… Sora bit his lip. He wouldn't tell Riku, the boy was finally living a normal life. So, Sora stuffed the picture back into his pocket. What would happen, he wondered, if Riku found the picture?

Banishing that thought to the back of his mind, Sora opened the door and entered the pub.


	6. Strange Change and an Important Note

Sora stared at his best friend in shock. This couldn't be happening. It – it couldn't be… he had so been sure… he'd always wanted…

Pouting, Sora bit his lip. Grimacing angrily as the ship disappeared on the horizon, Sora stomped his feet.

"Fine!"

With that, he stormed away very angry. Just as he was going to turn the corner, he paused, his eyes a little sadder. Looking out of the corner of his eye Sora tried to see the ship. But it was gone.

_Two Days Earlier_

Stepping into the well lit room, Sora was not noticed immediately. To his delight, the room was full of joyous people and friendly faces, having so much fun they didn't quite notice him right away. Only when the door opened behind Sora and a voice spoke to him did anyone turn around to see the door.

"Sora"

Spinning around, Sora looked up to a smiling face. "Leon!" The enigmatic leader of Radiant Garden gave Sora a small smile, and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. Then, he turned a bit, so another could step in. Rinoa grinned and swept Sora into a hug as she stepped in.

"Sora, it's been ages!" She squealed, almost crushing the boy.

"Hey Rinoa" he smiled, hugging her in return.

"Boy! What took you so long?"

Sora turned just into time to be squeezed to death by a pair of rugged arms, as Cid raised him in the air. Many laughed at the spectacle, and Cid set the boy down, dragging him to the table.

"Meet my wife" He smiled. "Shera Highwind" Smiling kindly, she waved to Sora, Leon, and Rinoa as they pulled up chairs and went to sit. Sora searched the table. Across the way, two friendly, hopeful eyes were looking at him, and Kairi waved.

"Kairi!" Walking over, Sora took Kairi into an embrace when the girl stood. Swinging her around, Sora laughed, and set her down, only to attack Namine next. The girl squealed when he lifted her up, and she hit his arm.

"Hey, Namine!" Sora looked around for a stool of some sort, but then decided to stand. Backing up to lean against a pole, Sora crossed his arms and smiled at the girls.

Kairi blinked. "Uhhh… sure you don't wanna sit down?"

"Nah, I'm comfortable… even though this is a weird pole…" Sora adjusted his shoulders. Namine was covering her mouth and biting her lip.

"You sure?" Kairi smiled a little. Sora looked confused. Slowly, he turned around to look at the pole he was leaning against. Namine and Kairi burst out laughing.

"You know, I've met some real dumb asses, but you truly are … a masterpiece, Sora" The dark man grinned.

"AHHHH!" Sora jumped and fell on his ass, almost tipping the table. Kairi and Namine laughed harder, and a deep, masculine laugh joined theirs.

Sora leapt up with a sheepish grin. "Alucard!"

"Yours truly" The vampire bowed still with a wide grin.

"Wow" Sora was red in the face, brushing a hand through his hair. "How many old faces am I gonna see tonight?"

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked. Sora stood and cracked his neck, leaning against the next pole over. This time, he looked at it before leaning. Alucard gave him a smug look and Sora just laughed nervously.

"I met Inuyasha on the way here"

"Cool" Kairi grinned. Zexion came over.

"Want something to drink, Keyblade Master?" Sora blinked at the boy.

"You the bar tender?" Sora grinned. Rolling his eyes, Zexion sighed haggardly.

"Don't start" He commented, while handing Alucard a bag of red liquid with a straw. Sora blinked at the weird bag, and blanched when Alucard began drinking. "Eww…"

Alucard gave him another funny, smug look.

Cloud stood with a smile on his face. "Hey, did you –"

Sora watched Cloud fall to the floor when a huge rumble shook the earth. A couple of glasses broke behind the bar, as Zexion groaned and grabbed the bar.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Cid roared, standing up from the floor. Of course, the shaking sent him face first to the ground again. Sora grabbed the pole he was next to for balance. He made a face at Alucard as the vampire simply stood the earthquake out.

"What in the world?" Namine muttered, holding her chair. Something beside her fell. The cover came off her canvas, and Sora saw Namine's painting for the first time.

"Wow…" He mumbled. "Really nice"

"Almost looks like you" Alucard commented with a smirk.

Suddenly, a light burst from the north. Another man in the bar leapt up and opened the door, reaching out to look. The shaking had begun to stop.

"Look, its coming from the summit!" The man roared in shock. A woman ran up behind him, and Leon rushed out the door. Cloud followed after, just as Cid was trying to stand, and he knocked the man back down. Grumbling angrily, Cid raced after, cursing all the way.

"What was that?" Yuffie groaned, still holding hands with Demyx. Neither seemed to notice that they'd taken hold of each other's hands, and hadn't yet let go.

"Don't know" Sora spoke seriously, as he passed the chairs of the table and rushed out the door. Kairi and Namine shared looks, and then rushed after him. Soon enough, the entire table was looking at each other like, "Why are we sitting here?" and they all began racing out the door. Even Zexion had haphazardly dropped the tray he was holding and ran out the door. Alucard quickly snatched Namine's painting off the floor; luckily, not one foot had touched it.

Outside, Namine and Kairi stood beside Sora. "Whoa…"

The sky was alit with a white pillar of pure energy, brighter than the stars, reaching far into the sky. Sora's brow furrowed.

"Where's Riku?" He asked.

"Still at the summit; last I saw him, he was talking with Aimé and Luxord" Leon's words fell on deaf ears as Sora had sped through the streets as soon as he heard the word "summit". Kairi began racing after him.

Cloud looked around at the gawking people of Organization XIII and Radiant Garden. "What are you doing? Come on!" Leading the pack, Cloud began racing after the two teens. They all started after him. Yuffie was still wowing, staring blindly at the sky. Tifa doubled back.

"Come on!" She demanded, pulling Yuffie by the scarf around her neck.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sora pushed into the summit doors, past guards, and rushed to the entrance. He ran into a man in a blue uniform who didn't even notice him. Standing just at the edge of the drop down into the arena Sora gazed dumb founded at the center of the arena, floating in the air. Every eye in the room was drawn to what floated there.

It was a beautiful woman, in a flowing white dress, a small girl barely Marlene's height. Her eyes were vague, void of light, staring ahead at nothing at all. Sora felt someone hit his shoulder. "Yuna!"

"Sora!" She breathed heavy, concerned. "She's asking for you"

The entire summit turned to look at the boy. Sora glanced around and watched as the girl in the center slowly turned to look at him.

"_Keyblade Master_" She mumbled, her voice wispy and faraway. Sora glanced back. Kairi was just behind him. She took hold of his arm. Nodding, Sora looked up to the girl, and both of them stepped up to the podium.

"Uhhh… hi" Sora waved. Kairi rolled her eyes and hit his arm. Another weight came against Sora's other side. Looking up, the boy grinned to see his silver haired friend standing beside him.

"Took you long enough, Riku" Sora grinned. Riku nudged Sora's side.

"So, uhhh… how can I help you?" Sora asked, standing ahead of his friends.

"_The summit is not safe_" She whispered. The world around everyone disappeared. Every person in the summit was floating in midair within an illusion of stars and planets.

"_This world is between dark and light; the Heartless will find their way here"_

"The Heartless?" Kairi murmured, watching stars float by.

"_The Heartless have returned, from the recesses of dark. They will try to destroy the summit. You must move it to someplace safe"_

"_The summit must be moved. And a crew must be sent; a crew of many people from various worlds, to go to Port Royal"_

"… Heh" Sora smiled at the memories of Port Royal. Kairi glanced at him. "Why Port Royal?"

"_There, take a ship out into the ocean; the ship will not go into the Caribbean, your ship will enter into a different world"_

_"Cross the Sea of Sorrows, and you will find the way to rid the universe of the Heartless forever"_

"Forever…" Sora murmured. He felt a pressure on his hand.

_"I will meet you on the other side. Form your crew. Leave Twilight Town immediately! They are coming!"_

And with a flash of bright light the girl was gone. In her place, floated a small, nobody like creature. Sora blinked. It was the creature he'd followed before being kidnapped. What was it…?

In a flash it was gone.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"So… what'd they say?"

Sora spun around. Everyone was looking at him and Kairi and Riku. Nervous, Sora brushed a hand through his hair.

"Didn't you hear… her?" Kairi asked.

Yuna looked around, and shook her head. Everyone looked confused. Namine stepped up shyly. "I suppose only those she wanted to hear her could…" She added. Roxas stood beside her defensively.

"So… you've got the podium kid" Sora turned to the speaker. The man was dressed in a blue army uniform, and his ID read "Colonel Mustang". Gulping, Sora turned to the podium again, and to all the eyes on him.

"Uhhh… well…"

So Sora began speaking of what the girl had said. Once he finished, and stepped back a bit, he saw most of the crowd was quiet and afraid. Nervous, Sora gave a shrug and a small smile.

"I uh, I don't know where we'll go, or who'll go on this ship thing, but… hey, if any Heartless come" Sora began, trying to ease the fearful looks. "We'll kick their asses, right?"

"Yeah!" Riku and Kairi cheered with him.

"As for where the summit will go, can anybody think of a really safe place?"

Suddenly, a booming voice came from one of the passageways. The passage was totally empty, but for one person who was walking out into the summit very quietly. Hands behind his back, and a serene smile on his face, he spoke to the group as a whole.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"So, you're going back to the bar?"

"Yeah – I know Yuna's insisting on staying, but she said I should head back, that I'd helped enough. Said she's the one deciding who to put on this crew. Course, Sir Integra's helping, and that new one, who was he?"

"Oh, the guy who said we could use his castle?"

"Wonder how safe that place is"

"Have to be pretty big to hold the whole summit"

"What, you guys never heard of him? He's universally famous already, even though the worlds have only been together for a while. He's really powerful, he's a wizard"

"Wizard huh? What's that old coot's name?"

"Wasn't … eh, something weird"

"Oh, you all are hopeless"

"Well come on, Xigbar's already back at the bar, not to mention there are a LOT more people there now"

"Let's go!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

When Sora, Kairi, and Riku stepped into the bar, the room went deathly quiet. The bar was filled, but many of Sora's party had left for official business. Still, some where still there. The large table had downsized to two tables pulled together. Sora pulled up a chair.

"So, where'd Alucard go?" He asked Axel, who was sitting next to him.

"His master called him, you know, all this business with moving the summit. Everybody's whacked out of their minds now; this is a lot of work. Course, though for some it's more work, for others, their jobs are gone. People giving tours and managing stuff are done for now."

"Hehe – so you do pay attention" Roxas joked. Axel gave him a look.

"Now, now children" Zexion chided, coming to sit with them.

"Your shift finally over?" Sora asked. The emo kid nodded.

"Good to have you back" An English voice greeted as Luxord sat with the group, a beer in hand.

"Hey, where've you been?" Kairi asked.

"He's been with me, working with Lady Yuna" Riku explained, ordering a coke from a passing maid.

"Working?" Luxord laughed, giving Riku a smug look. The boy frowned. "More like eyeing that French lady each time she comes around"

"What?" Riku retorted, as Sora and Kairi laughed. Axel whistled.

"Emo kid's got a girl friend" He grinned and chugged his drink. Then he took a moment to think. "Well, second emo kid" Axel nudged Zexion's elbow. Zexion frowned and hit his shoulder.

"Hey, kiddies, not gonna invite me?" Xigbar laughed as he came to stand with the group.

"Want my chair?" Roxas asked, standing to give it to him.

"No – you stay and keep your lady company." Xigbar winked, and Roxas sat back down with a blushing Namine.

"This is really weird – who knew the Heartless would come back?" Namine whispered.

Snorting, Riku gave a sad shrug of his shoulders. "Inevitable wasn't it?"

"Hell, does that mean going on this weird trip is gonna help any?" Xigbar added, drinking half his mug in one swallow.

"That lady seemed to think so. I don't know" Sora shrugged. A weird look came over his face. "Hey, where's Demyx?"

Axel rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, last I saw, he was talking to Marluxia in the stadium.

"But Marluxia and Larxene went home" Namine told the group.

Roxas grimaced angrily, looking up to the door.

"Well, I suppose he's probably at the summit, helping out" Luxord shrugged.

"Don't know what else the boy would be doing" Xigbar laughed. "Unless he's tagging along after that crazy ninja"

Suddenly, Roxas shoved his chair back and ran out the door. Namine stood in surprise. "Roxas?"

Sora stood as well, concerned, but by the time he was up, Roxas was gone, and the bar door was swinging back and forth in its frame.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_It was just a prank, it was just a prank_

Racing through the city streets, Roxas gasped for breath, concerned and fearful.

_It was just a prank_

Skidding around a corner, Roxas paused only for a moment to apologize to a silver haired priest for knocking him over. As he ran on, Roxas barely heard the conversation behind him ("Abel, you clumsy fool!") but continued on underneath the arches of the summit arena.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Roxas slid to a halt just at the railing around the arena. Peering down, Roxas gasped. "Demyx!" The boy below cringed, and turned around.

"Oh, hey Roxas" He smiled and waved. Roxas leapt into the pit.

"What are you doing here?" Roxas demanded. Grimacing, Demyx shrugged with a small smile.

"Oh, I don't know – living my last day"

"WHAT!?!!?" Roxas screamed.

Demyx jumped. "It – it was a joke! Remember, that big scary guy fights Xigbar tomorrow!" Roxas' eyes grew wide in realization as he calmed himself.

"Don't – don't scare me like that!"

Demyx looked his friend over. "Are – are you all right?"

"Y – Yeah. Now what's the real reason you're down here?"

Frowning, Demyx turned to look at the night sky. "I – I'm not sure, I just – I felt like I knew her. I mean, like I knew that girl, in the white light. She was just so – familiar somehow. Like she was from my dreams." Turning to his friend, Demyx grinned. "You know – I'm the only other nobody who doesn't remember who they were before they became – well, you know."

Roxas blinked. "I – I didn't know – you couldn't remember either."

Demyx sat on the dirt cross legged, a serene smile on his face as he leaned back to look at the sky. "Yeah – I thought maybe, I did know that girl, during my life. She was so familiar. And, I think she smiled at me! So maybe she knows me too!"

Roxas sat by Demyx and patted his shoulder. Demyx glanced down. "I don't know about that girl, but maybe you'll find your past."

"Yeah" Demyx returned his gaze to the night sky. "Maybe I'll remember more than just my name someday."

Giving his friend a playful, funny look, Demyx asked him, "So, why were you so worried?"

Roxas cringed. "Well… remember those phone calls earlier today?" Demyx blinked, and shrugged. "Those guys that called told me … they said 'the blonde will die' or something like that. They said you were the one they meant, so that… kinda got me on edge… I guess."

Demyx was smiling broadly with an adorable puppy like face. Roxas blinked. "What?"

"ROXAS!!" Demyx glomped the child as the younger blonde gawked and tried to wriggle away. They fell to the ground laughing, play fighting, just being children, which was an amazing sight in of itself.

For how often can a nobody find peace in which to live?

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Guys, it's been decided!"

"Sir Integra's talking!"

"Turn up the TV, turn it up!"

"Hey, look, Alucard's up there with her! And who's that girl?"

"Quiet!"

…

_"… And so our decisions have been made as to who shall work best together, who shall best lead, and who is most qualified for the job. We hope to please everyone with our decision, and hope to integrate many different types of people together for this journey._

_It seems fitting for Sora Yuuchou to join on the journey…_

Sora sat stiff and upright in his seat, anticipating, waiting eagerly…

_"… yet we believe his good friend Riku Yume is perhaps better suited to be leader. His second in command shall be Aimé Rousseau. Sora shall be part of the crew as well. _

_Joining them will be…_

Riku was gawking at the screen. Sora was too. He knew he'd be on the ship that was no surprise…

"I'm captain?

"Riku's captain?"

The two boys turned to look at each other, both with surprise, and one with a little hurt, in their eyes. Sora bit his lip and forced a smile. "Well, hey, you'll be a good leader" Riku looked his friend over.

"Sora, I –"

"Shush, or we won't here who else is going"

Sora turned back to the screen. Riku, down hearted, sighed, and looked up to see the crew he'd be leading.

"I've writing down all the names they say for you, so you'll know who they are" Kairi said.

"Thanks" Riku mumbled.

Integra finished her speech and stepped down from the podium, her people following behind her. The new guy stepped up.

"That's the old wizard" Roxas whispered.

His beard was long, and snowy white, almost dusted the floor, and you could tell he was very old. The robes he wore were strange and beautiful, with many colors, and layers; his hat fell back over long white hair, and was red and orange and green and blue – blue eyes twinkled as he looked over the summit audience, and to the television screen. His eyes pierced the soul like you could tell he was looking at you – and maybe you alone.

A voice came over the intercom. "Representing the world of **_Orsa Letum_****, Headmaster **Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!"

The man looked down onto the crowd with his piercing blue eyes over his half moon glasses.

"Greetings"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Roxas and Demyx were lying flat on the ground, very quiet, very still. Roxas was sweating, and angry, and Demyx looked very sheepish.

"Guess it was a bad idea to go into the arena when the summit wasn't quite over, huh?" Demyx laughed quietly. Roxas glared daggers.

"Shut up, unless you want to be all over the news as the year's biggest dumbass!"

"But you're here too –"

"SHUT UP!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

**TIS SHALL BE A LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I know the introduction has yet to be explained, but I ran out of time. You'll have to wait until next time!**

**Oh Demyx. Always the intelligent one.**

**Well, I've dug a hole, jumped in, and started drowning myself in dirt. How many reviews will I get going, "Hey, I don't like Hairy Pottah!" Maybe I won't get any. **

**I promised myself I would NEVER put any crossovers in here that weren't anime, but then I read the seventh book, and I was all, "YEAH!! GO HARRY!" … so this happened. I sorry. Bad Sulhadahne, Bad!**

**Well, for those who are curious, I've made this for you: a timeline for all the crossovers in this story.**

**BLEACH: Just after Ichigo and them saved Rukia from Soul Society, but before the fighting with Aizen and the Arrancars and all that.**

**HARRY POTTER: Just before Harry's fourth year. Maybe I'll mess with the Triwizard Tourtament a bit! Hehe!**

**HELLSING: Seeing as the end of Hellsing hasn't really come yet, this is in a future of what I know so far on Hellsing; this is assuming that Hellsing beats the Nazis, and Alucard, Integra, and Seras live. So, it's AFTER the Hellsing timeline, after the vampire Nazis all go boom.**

**INUYASHA: After Naraku's been killed. Which he's never really killed. So this story is assuming that Takahashi FINALLY gets a grip and ends the story. This story is also assuming that 1: Miroku and Sango get married, 2: Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha finally get along, and 3: Kagome returns to her time.**

**NARUTO: It's just after Naruto and Jiraiya return to Konoha with Tsunade. So, just about when Tsunade becomes Hokage.**

**TRIGUN: Yeah, Trigun hasn't done much but be silly yet. But because I love Vash the dork, he might show up at some point. This would be after Wolfwood's death, as I already had that guy show up in OMV as coming back to life thanks to good ole Rinoa, but it's not after Legato's death. So he's still fighting Knives.**

**I wanted to do so much more with this chapter but I have a limited amount of time. I live for White Lake today, and then come back Saturday, and then Sunday leave for South Port, and come back Sunday, and start High School Monday! Won't That Be Fun!**

**Hehe … no.**

**Good thing is, my aunt lives in South Port, and seeing as it's a business trip for my dad, my mom and I will have nothing to do, so I'm sure we'll be at my aunt's house a lot! And my aunt's a scientific writer or something, so you KNOW she has a computer. Since we'll be there a week, I'll definitely be able to do at least ONE post will at South Port. So, you'll have to wait about a week for another post. **

**I wonder what high school will be like. For me, it may just be heaven. I'm going to my brother and sister's alma mater, and I was born the very year they started school. My mom was involved with the school, so for the four years my siblings went to High School, I was there all the time. I went on field trips, I have pictures of me as a three year old holding a toy rifle, standing with my sibling's ROTC group! Mom's made me promise not to join the air force… not like I could, I've got Asthma, they wouldn't let me!**

**Xigbar: You need to stop the ranting.**

**Ranting? As if!**

**Xigbar: That's my line!**

_**What –EV – ar!**_

**So guys, a lot happened this chapter. Here's what you got to do.**

**That ship Sora and them are going on will have FIFTEEN crew members. Sora, Riku, and Aime take three spots. Kairi's not going. ONLY I KNOW WHY! HA!**

**Anyway, you've got to decide who you want on this journey! Shall it be Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist? Or perhaps a princess from one of the Disney worlds? I do have override power, since I have some idea of the kind of people I want on the ship. Since there are twelve slots though, I'm sure we've got more than enough people spaces. **

**(And if you don't know all the people in a category, look em up and see who you think's most… interesting. And if you don't want to look that into it, just look up their pictures. Vote for the hottest! That's what I'd do… Sides, you don't got to vote in each category!)**

**SO VOTE!**

**1: Who do you want as the ship's Hot Head?**

**Kyo Sohma from **_**Fruits Basket, **_**Inuyasha from **_**Inuyasha, **_**Edward Elric from **_**Fullmetal Alchemist, **_**or Kiba from **_**Naruto**_**? VOTE!!!**

**2: Who do you want as the team Healer?**

**Aerith from **_**Final Fantasy VII, **_**Sakura from **_**Naruto, **_**or Kurama from **_**Yu Yu Hakisho? **_**VOTE!!!**

**3: Who do you want as the team Quirky Guy?**

**Mr. Hat and Clogs, or Kisuke Urahara, from **_**Bleach, **_**Zell from **_**Final Fantasy VIII, **_**or Remus Lupin from **_**Harry Potter? **_**VOTE!!!**

**4: Who do you want as the team Chick?**

**Matsumomo Rangiku from **_**Bleach, **_**Seras Victoria from **_**Hellsing, **_**Tifa from **_**Final Fantasy VII, **_**or Marluxia? … snicker… HAHHAHAHAHA!! So… anyways, VOTE for the team Chick!**

**5: Who do you want as the team Princess?**

**Jasmine from **_**Aladdin, **_**Ariel from **_**The Little Mermaid, **_**Hinata from **_**Naruto **_**(Yeah, I made her the Naruto world princess), or Elizabeth from **_**Pirates of the Caribbean?**_

**VOTE, DAMMIT!!!**

**6: Who do you want as the team Dumb Ass Crack Head with an Anger Management Problem?**

**Naruto from **_**Naruto, **_**Yusuke from **_**Yu Yu Hakisho, **_**Ichigo from **_**Bleach, **_**or Sanzo from **_**Saiyuki? **_**(if you look no one else up on this page, LOOK SANZO UP!! He's a nutjob!! And he's really cool.)**

**7: Who do you want to be team Pervert? (isn't there always one?)**

**Shigure from **_**Fruits Basket, **_**Miroku from **_**Inuyasha, **_**Axel from you know where, and if you don't know I'll kill you, or Jiraiya from **_**Naruto?**_

**8: Who do you want to be team Dork?**

**Vash the Stampede from **_**Trigun, **_**Abel Nightroad from **_**Trinity Blood, **_**Cho Hakkai from **_**Saiyuki**_** (I LOVE HIM!!!)****or Uryu Ishida from **_**Bleach!**_

**9: Who do you want to be team Emo Boy?**

**Sasuke from **_**Naruto, **_**Gaara from **_**Naruto, **_**Neji from **_**Naruto, **_**or Shino from **_**Naruto?**_** … damn, Naruto's got a lot of Emo Boys!!!!**

**10: Who do you want to be the Kick Ass Girl on the ship?**

**Nanao Ise from **_**Bleach, **_**Tonks from **_**Harry Potter, **_**Sir Integra from **_**Hellsing **_**(which means Alucard is tagging along) or Lirin from **_**Saiyuki?**_

**11: Lastly, which hawt Final Fantasy Boy do you want? Err.. to be on the ship. Not with you. No.. No stop that! GIVE THEM BACK!!.. crazy fangirls..**

**Cloud Strife from **_**Final Fantasy VII, **_**Sir Auron from **_**Final Fantasy X, **_**Vincent Valentine from **_**Final Fantasy VII, **_**or Cid from **_**Final Fantasy VII?**_

**The last member of the crew shall be decided by me!!! MUAHAAHAHA!!!**

**HAPPY VOTING!!!!**


	7. A Ship Full of Psychopaths

_"Wow, this place is neat!"_

_"Tier! We aren't allowed here! We … we need… eww … if Xehanort finds us here, we are SO … hey, is that a …?"_

_"Shut up, Cero!" _

_Biting his lip, the younger, brown haired boy trailed after his tall friend through the amazing laboratory that was Lord Xehanort's private study. So many strange secrets lurked behind every door and vial, things that looked otherworldly, things that looked dangerous. The boys, one with shaggy brown hair that was sort of spiked on the sides, yet framed his face in the front; he seemed about twelve years old, sort of shy, and haphazardly growing into his teenage body. The older boy had light colored hair that seemed white, but reflected blue in the sun. He was colder, more arrogant._

_Cero stared in horror at some sort of contraption across the way that seemed to be ripping something apart. It was behind a glass dome, floating in the air – ripping something apart (the thing screamed) and it came back together, and the device tore it to shreds again. Cero was sweating._

_"Come on, Cero!"_

_"Tier! Wait for me!"_

_Scared stiff, the younger boy trailed after his brave, foolish friend. "What are we even doing here Tier, I mean, you get to come here in a few months, why risk it and come now? And this place is so scary… scarier than Grammy's temper…"_

_"Shut up Cero!"_

_Grimacing, the young boy watched as his friend lifted a bar off a door. Pushing the broad, silver door open, Tier watched as Cero tried to glance around at what was inside. "Go on" He whispered to his young friend. "I can't go in. Tell me what you see in there"_

_"… Okay" Ever the shy pushover, Cero bit his lip, and held down the bile that threatened to spew from his throat. Stepping in, the boy glanced around._

_"What's in there?" Tier asked his back to the door._

_"Why don't you come in, Tier?" Cero asked curiously. The room he was in was not at all frightening like the other room._

_"I – I can't!"_

_Surprised to find that his friend was now the fearful one, Cero smirked and stuck his tongue out at the door. Of course Tier couldn't see him. If he could, Cero wouldn't dare do it._

_"What do you see?"_

_Glancing around, Cero tried to relay his surroundings. "It's … a really big room. All this shiny stuff everywhere… and a bunch of open books! And … and wow… it…"_

_"What?"_

_"It's our swords! There're here! But, it's weird. It's like they're frozen."_

_Gasping in anger Tier suddenly spun around and slammed the door open, racing in. "I knew it!" Breathing hard, Tier studied the wall before them._

_It was a strange wall of what looked like ice, but wasn't cold. Within it were three blades, shaped like keys – one decorated in flowers, one black with a white wing, and a small one that was white and gold._

_"He lied to us! He never gave us the real ones at all!"_

_Slamming his fist into the ice, Tier didn't blink when it began to bleed. He was enraged. "What… what's going on, Tier?" Cero asked. _

_"The old man… he said that with our swords, we could save the world. But we never had the real ones at all! Did we?" Glancing up, Tier frowned. "Wait… that one in the middle is different. It doesn't look at all like yours…"_

_Cero frowned too. The one in the middle was small, much smaller than his. If it was true that Tier, Cero, and Marina's blades were fakes, then the flower blade was the real version of Marina's blade, and the black one with the wing was Tier's actual blade. But the one in the middle wasn't like Cero's at all. Frowning, Cero summoned his blade._

_It was like the small one, but longer, with different colors. The handle was golden, not white. _

_As Cero looked over his blade, and then to the wall, in amazement, Tier glared, his fury rising. Why… _

_"Why did he give you the real one?" Tier muttered. Cero looked at him._

_"What?"_

_"Why did Xehanort give you the Keyblade?" Tier growled, his voice rising. Cero looked at his friend in surprise. What was wrong?_

_"Tier… what are you talking about?"_

_"You've always been hopeless" Tier spat. "I may have been a slave, but I was better off than you! You, the foolish prince who tripped over his own feet, who didn't know the crown from a hat! Why you!?"_

_Roaring in anger, the boy swept everything off the desk by summoning his blade. Screaming, Tier destroyed the desk; in shock, Cero ran, ran down the hall in the back, scared for his life, and confused._

_"Why!?"_

_Tier glanced down at the fake in his hands. He closed his eyes. Darkness began swirling around the fake blade, very weakly at first. Tier cursed his strength. The boy raced after Cero._

_The two boys disappeared into darkness…_

0-0-0-0-0-0

Twilight Town emptied quickly and quietly, with thousands from many different worlds and stars disappearing into the never ending sky. Sora felt a weight lift on him at the thought of the coming adventure; he wasn't the captain. At first, he'd been terribly down hearted, but now… he was all right with Riku being captain. Jealously was an emotion he didn't need.

Pulling his back pack over onto his shoulder, the boy strode up the ramp and towards the ship that would take Riku, Aimé and him to Port Royal.

Kairi watched him go, her Hogwarts uniform folded over her arms. Glancing, Sora waved and winked at the girl. Nodding, with a small smile, Kairi sighed, and turned to her own ship. The three were separating again.

As she walked down the crowded hall to her own ship, Kairi hummed a tune and glanced around, taking in the town's hustle and bustle one last time. Those who lived in the Town were waving goodbye, and Kairi waved to Hayner and his friends when she saw them.

Soon enough, the enormous ships taking the summit to Hogwarts School came into her view and with a serene sigh and a flip of her hair, Kairi resigned herself to perhaps a year without her beloved friends.

"Hey, girlie!"

Well, not all of them.

Grinning and loitering around the base of the ship stood Roxas, Namine, Axel, and many others, including Rikku and Yuna. It was a large group heading to the school and all of the children were enrolling. Before she knew it, summer was over, Riku and Sora were off on another adventure, and she and the others were going to school.

A Wizard school.

As the boys roughhoused and Kairi came up laughing, she glanced around.

"Hey, where's Demyx?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ah! – oh no – the left! The left! Oh, I can't watch!"

Squirming and chattering away fearfully, Demyx clutched his face and bent down, rocking back and forth.

Slashing up with his unnamed blade, Kenpachi laughed and plowed forward, his large frame pushing ahead. Xigbar disappeared, appearing again behind the larger man. His opponent was ready for this, spinning about to meet him. As both flew through the air, bullets flying, the sound of metal hitting metal in the air, each one laughed; Xigbar and Kenpachi enjoyed fighting immensely.

Cringing, Demyx watched with wide, apprehensive eyes as his mentor and friend fought for his life. Beside him, Yuffie frowned and clutched Demyx's gloved hand.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine" She promised.

Leaping above Kenpachi's head, Xigbar sent an onslaught down, and then spun and disappeared in darkness. Bullets blasting the ground apart, Kenpachi leapt all around, dodging every one, covered in dirt.

"Come on, death god, let's dance!" Cheering grinning, Xigbar continued to fire. Leaping through the purple flames with ease, Kenpachi was burned across his arm; but he made his goal, coming within distance of his enemy. With a broad slice, Kenpachi's blade hit skin, yet Xigbar leapt away before real damage could be done.

"You're fun" Kenpachi smirked widely.

Xigbar leapt, kicked off against a tree, and lifted his guns. The eye patch over his left eye helped him aim, even as Kenpachi disappeared. As soon as he reappeared, Xigbar was on him, purple bullets flying.

Hitting one away with his blade, Kenpachi leapt over them, burning the soles of his feet. When his blade came down, Xigbar blocked with one of his purple guns – and once they were fighting each other, Xigbar released his weight and fell back. As he fell to the ground he lifted his gun and shot many times; eyes wide, Kenpachi leapt back and then forward again when Xigbar hit the ground.

Finally his blade pierced flesh as Xigbar made to stand – even so, Xigbar lifted his fist and punched Kenpachi's gut, his gun still in his hand.

Taking turns dodging and throwing punches, or bullets, each keep equal footing, giving little wounds to each other. The strap on Kenpachi's eye patch was ripped off – the immensely strong aura it kept locked away came full force, knocking Demyx and Yuffie to the ground – Xigbar just smirked and kept fighting.

"Come on, is that all you've got!" Cackling, he spun his foot around to the enemy, and Kenpachi caught it; even so, Xigbar used the momentum to shoot at Kenpachi's face, even as his enemy made to cut his leg off. Both leapt away from each other.

"Oh, man, whose winning?" Demyx cried, biting his lip.

"No one yet" Yuffie sighed.

Neck in neck, each flew to the other, and Kenpachi took firm hold of Xigbar's gun – even as Xigbar tossed the other gun aside and took firm hold of Kenpachi's sword. Blood trickled down from his now ripped gloved hand, and the skin on Kenpachi's hand burned.

"You're really fun" Kenpachi smirked. "But there's still not enough BLOOD!"

Pulling back, Kenpachi's sword came free, and even Xigbar couldn't hold it. The sword pierced Xigbar's leg, though it was aimed for his stomach – the Freeshooter had swung his gun hand up, even as Kenpachi held on, and busted the taller man in the cheek.

Demyx was chewing on his nails. "This is KILLING ME!" He sobbed. Yuffie gave him a look.

"I think its hurting Xigbar a lot more than it is you, stupid" The ninja rolled her eyes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Do you think they'll show up on time?" Kairi wondered.

"Who knows?" Cracking his neck, Axel scratched the skin at the base of his spiky hair. "Even if they don't, they'll show up somehow, knowing Xigbar" The group began walking up the ramp with many others, tugging their luggage along.

"They'd better be there in time for the sorting" Paine muttered evilly. She wanted Xigbar to be there.

Confused, Kairi paused in walking as the others continued on.

"Sorting?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Soon, but not soon enough, Riku and his group arrived at the rough world of Port Royal. With vagabonds all around and scalawags hiding in dark corners, Sora smiled at memories. Then he glanced at his friend. For some reason, Riku seemed uptight, nervous – was he nervous to meet his crew?

"Hey, Riku, what ship is ours?" Sora asked.

The boy suddenly seemed awake. "Huh? Oh, uh… we named it the Highwind. It's … that one!"

As silver haired fluttered in the wind, Riku smiled and pointed to the ship ahead of them. It had dark mahogany wood and pure white sails, large and majestic. Though it was nothing like Captain Jack's ship, it was nice all the same.

"So, iz the crew there?" A French accent asked. Smiling serenely, Riku turned to his assistant.

"Nice to see you, Aimé" he grinned. Sora elbowed his friend playfully, and Riku gave him a glare.

"Nice to zee you" She smiled, glancing at both boys.

Sora turned to the ship hopefully. "Let's go see the crew, huh?"

The three turned to walk up the gangplank, hoping for the best. What they got was the best – of the worst.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

When he was chosen as the captain, Riku wondered why Sora hadn't been chosen. The boy had proven himself over and over, not only as a competent fighter, but he also showed the rare ability to somehow draw out the best in people. Why then was he chosen, Riku, the boy who leapt into darkness with no fear and caused many terrible things to happen?

Just as he was wondering this, Riku felt a hand on his shoulder.

"The captain has no time to brood… sir" Aimé smiled encouragingly. Taken by surprise, Riku nodded and smiled a little.

"You're right… thank you"

"Come on, come on, come on, I wanna see em!" Sora cheered, pulling on Riku's hand. They rushed up the gangplank and to the ship, as voices came within earshot. Sliding to a halt, both boys glanced around.

Just as they watched their new crew, and came to the top of the ship, one of their crew members was thrown screaming over the side of the ship, tossed back on accident when he attempted to step between two other members.

Two crew members, a teenage boy and a woman, where arguing angrily and the boy was throwing his sword around and causing a ruckus. A third person, a shorter boy, was angrily attempting to stop the fight, but he ended up fighting too. That was when the tall silver haired one was tossed aside, crashing into the water below.

Mouth agape, Riku stared at his crew. Sora glanced around, really confused.

"Good luck… Capitan" Smirking, Aimé walked around them to the captain's quarters, leaving the boys to sort out the mess. Sighing, Riku brushed a hand through his hair.

"Crew! Assemble!" The captain cried. Many members, suddenly realizing their captain was aboard, stepped back, looking him over. The woman from the fight stepped back, and Sora recognized her, but the boys were still arguing.

"Get outta the way, shrimp!"

"_DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"_

"SILENCE!"

His voice bellowing, Riku brought the crew to dead silence, as the two boys looked sheepish and backed off, though they continued glaring at each other. Then suddenly, the older boy blinked in surprise and looked up.

"Sora?" The boy asked.

"Hey, Ichigo" Sora smiled.

Groaning, Riku stepped up. He glanced over them.

"Well… why don't you introduce yourselves?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

When the ships landed on their destination, the students got off, and then the ships continued on to the school. Sighing, Kairi lugged her trunk behind her, having already received from Prof. Dumbledore her school supplies. Dressed in a Hogwarts uniform, Kairi joined her friends on the Hogwarts express.

"Damn it, man" Axel complained. "Why we gotta go to school anyway?"

"Cause, this summit is all about learning about other worlds and cultures!" Rikku told him excitedly. "Students from all over going to the school gives everybody a chance to know each other" She explained.

"Wow, you made sense for once" Yuna giggled.

Kairi heaved her trunk into the overhead compartment, with Roxas' help. "Thanks" She told him.

"So" Leaning forward, Axel joined the conversation. "You know about the sorting?"

The small room became silent. The group could hear in the other room Zexion, Yuffie, Paine, Saix, Mitsuka, Marluxia, and Larxene. (Sitting with Axel was Roxas, Yuna, Rikku, Kairi, and Namine, which concluded the group from RGRC and ORG XIII [but for Demyx)

"Sorting?" Namine asked.

Smirking and happy to have everyone's attention, Axel began to explain as everyone leaned in. "Okay… what I've heard is that this school hear is the oldest and best in this world. Thousand years ago, four founders started the school and to this day all the students are sorted into houses according to personalities."

"Rowena Ravenclaw started the Ravenclaw house, which is for smart asses and really nerdy people" Axel told them. Roxas rolled his eyes at the boy's explanation.

"Godric Gryffindor's house is for people like me – brave, awesome, cool" Leaning back, the boy smirked. Namine smacked his leg.

"Anyway – " Rikku eagerly continued Axel's explanation. "Slytherin is for ambitious, cunning people. Not a person who's turned out rotten who hasn't been in that house." She shivered.

"And last is Hufflepuff, for everybody else" Axel finished. They were all silent.

Glancing around, Kairi knew they were all thinking the same thing.

_What house will I be in?_

**0-0-0-0**

**I STARTED HIGH SCHOOL TODAY!**

**Pretty cool. Kinda strange.**

**Any advice people?**

**Well, enjoy!**

**Wishing she were asleep right now,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	8. Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

_The two boys disappeared into darkness…_

_Gasping for breath, the young boy slid to a halt at a dead end. "Dead end? No!" The only things in the room were a domed roof with lanterns and a large, strange well in the center. Behind it was a large mural, but Cero didn't pay it any mind._

_"A well?" Thinking it his only hope, Cero climbed up the side and looked down. Darkness was thick in the well, but a strange blue light shone very far below in the bottom. It was a long fall, but maybe the only way to get out of Tier's way. It was bad to hang around when Tier got in a rage._

_"Cero!"_

_Tier raced into the room, his face contorted in rage. Gasping in fright, Cero spun around, and to his shock saw tendrils of darkness wrapping around Tier's blade._

_"No! Tier, you know what'll happen –"_

_"Shut up!" The boy was breathing hard, but maybe not because of the running. "It's the only way! If Xehanort won't help me, no one will!"_

_"But –"_

_"You're in the way!" Tier spat bitterly. His features became softer. _

_"I'm the only one who can save Marina."_

0-0-0-0-0-0

The train ride was far too short for Kairi's liking, but soon enough, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. She'd wished she'd been able to learn more about the school and the sorting from her well informed friends, but she left the train immediately, pulling a trunk behind. Like her friends, the princess was eager to see if Demyx had shown up.

Stars were already decorating the sky, and as Kairi glanced up at them, she failed to notice that no one else was looking up. All eyes were on the foreigners as they left the train, and the few stragglers in the sky as the last ships landed by the Dark Forest.

"Well… think we're famous?" Axel joked. Paine hit him in the leg. They all looked so strange in their school uniforms. But wait…

"Huh?" Kairi glanced back. Axel, Roxas, Saix, Zexion, Marluxia, and Larxene were still in their traditional black cloaks.

"Dude" Axel smiled, noticing the red heads strange look.

"We are nobodies, Organization XIII" Larxene explained with a smirk. "The only cloak we wear is our own"

"Besides, they're atrocious" Marluxia stuck his tongue out and made a face.

Laughing, Kairi shook her head. She felt a hand pull on her shoulder. "I started my next drawing" Namine smiled. "I drew Sora next"

"Oh, can I see it?" As they headed towards the large man shouting "First Yers" in the front, Kairi pleaded with her friend. Smiling evilly Namine shook her head.

"Not till it's done!"

"Hey, uh, are we first years?" Mitsuka wondered, joining the group. The foreigners all made their own group in the middle of the mass. Kairi noticed other groups of foreigners shuffling along out in the crowd.

"It is our first year here" Zexion stated. "Yet, I believe we will be grouped by our abilities, not our age"

That was when another voice, female, joined the shouting.

"Foreigners! This way!"

Smirking to each other, the group pushed their way to the left, past the little first years headed towards the boats, and beyond those getting into the horseless carriages; Kairi could see nothing pulling them, but other members of the group could see dark horse like creatures.

"Scary" Rikku muttered.

Soon the troop came to a small pavilion away from everyone else, where about fifty or sixty foreign students were lined up, many ages and heights, and looks. One had blue fur all over his body, and another had cat ears. Kairi was nervous but she remembered that she wasn't alone, which made the ache ease in her chest.

A hand came to her shoulder. "You're fine" Saix murmured. "Calm down"

Surprised, Kairi nodded. _Saix of all people… _She thought. It was then the woman at the front of the pavilion stood on a raised platform to speak.

Her firm look, stern eyes, and green robes with a pointed witch hat made her intimidating, but Kairi thought she looked like her grandmother back on the islands. Pulling a packet of papers from thin air, the woman turned to address the group.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, I know many of you come a long way, and many others have friends or family here as well, staying in the camps near the Forbidden Forest" She began, glancing around.

Her eyes skimmed over the crowd. "While you are here… other foreign students shall be attending the school; students from our world, but from different countries, and you are expected to behave. I have no doubt you will" She finished with a definite tone as if to say that you wouldn't… or she'd do something about it.

"Now, these papers I pass out will tell you what level of magic you will study while you are here. Once you have your papers, we will enter the castle. A feast is prepared in the Great Hall, but before you sit down, you all must be sorted."

This was the exciting part. Namine and Kairi shared happy grins.

"Hogwarts has four different houses representing four of the greatest witches and wizards of our age. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be your family. Each house has points. Good deeds will earn points, and any rule breaking… and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup."

Roxas looked very composed, yet inside, he was thinking, _come on! Come on! Who cares? What about the sorting?_

Giving one last stern look to the crowd, the woman adjusted her glasses. "All right… take your papers, and set your luggage around the pavilion, it will be taken to your rooms. Once you have done that, follow me"

And with a flick of her wand, the papers all flew through the air. The crowd gasped as each one arrived in the hand of the right person; Kairi's fell right into her open arms; Marluxia's crumpled up on his face.

Before opening her paper, Kairi pulled her trunk to the side of the pavilion. Then, she ripped it open, eager. She scanned it quickly.

_Dear Ms. Kairi Ranshin,_

_We are pleased that you are attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. Below is the year of school you will attend. We hope you enjoy your stay._

Jumping through the niceties, Kairi bit her lip.

"What year are you?" Yuna asked, leaping over.

"Fourth year" She told her, smiling.

"Oh" Yuna sighed as if disappointed. "Darn, I'm fifth year"

"Me too" Paine told her.

"Ah, come on!" Rikku frowned. "I can't be third!" Yuna and Paine shared smirking looks.

As the three friends laughed and bickered, Kairi walked over to Namine. _Namine can change memories and alter reality – there's no way she's my level…_

"What grade are you?" The blonde wondered.

"Fourth" Kairi stated, feeling her mouth dry. She wanted to be with Namine.

"Me too" Smiling, Namine folded up her letter and took hold of her trunk. "I suppose I should put this up" She walked past her friend and went to place her luggage aside.

"Hey, look, I'm fourth year too" Axel smirked. "What about you Roxas?"

"Yeah" He nodded and put his paper away.

"I'm sixth" Zexion muttered, walking up the path towards the professor at the front. Frowning, Axel crossed his arms.

"Show off…" He pouted. "Like anyone cares what grade you are!" He frowned harder. Smiling, Zexion glanced over his shoulder and waved arrogantly. Axel fumed and turned away.

Laughing at her silly friends, Kairi jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kairi?"

Standing behind her was a brown hair woman in the school uniform, smiling, with kind blue eyes. "Do you remember me?" She wondered. "From Hallow Bastion?"

Kairi thought for a moment as it came back to her. "Princess… Belle, right?"

Nodding, the brown haired princess shook the red head's hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again" She stated.

"You too"

"The line's moving" Larxene called back, nodding towards the front. Marluxia walked up beside her and they headed up the lane as everyone went to the castle. Belle and Kairi moved to walk with them. Talking lightly, the princesses shared their opinions and talked about their princes, keeping polite talk. They parted ways at the school door as Kairi caught up to her friends.

The foreigners all lined up behind the door. Kairi could hear a booming voice within speaking of changes in the year… new students from faraway worlds and countries… it was then the second sorting began, the sorting of the foreign students.

The doors opened wide.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sora glanced around. He could feel water in the air.

"Come on, let's go inside. We can all sit around and get to know each other"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Pulling up crates and barrels and stools, or leaning against the nearby wall, everyone came around in a group and sat, whether it was in a good mood or not. The poor silver haired man was soaking wet, and wrapped a tight blanket all around him.

"Well, all right" Sighing, Riku began. "We'll go around, starting with me. State your name, your world, and a talent you have that would be useful on our voyage." He glanced around, as if he might be challenge. Then he spoke.

"I'm Riku Yume, from the Destiny Islands. I have detailed knowledge of the darkness we are going two and experience in fighting it." He smiled and turned to Sora, who was balancing on a barrel.

"Huh? Oh!" Removing his feet, he placed them back on the ground. "I'm Sora, err… Sora Yuuchou and I'm from the Destiny Islands too. I, uh… I got a Keyblade" He shrugged.

"You are the keyblade master?" A man in the back asked.

"Yeah"

"Can … could we s – see it?" A shy young girl timidly spoke up.

Lifting his hand, Sora produced the keyblade. Many gasps came from around the room and Sora smiled.

"All right, stop showing off" Riku rolled his eyes. The circle moved on.

"I'm Aimé Rousseau. I am from Beast's Castle, and I have thoroughly studied the lore and history of the Fallen Kingdom."

Many people shared looks. Sora wondered what it was she knew, but now wasn't the time to ask.

The next person beside Aimé was a stranger. The boy was the short one who'd been in the fight. He wore a red coat, with black clothes under, and he had blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Sighing, the boy rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Well… I'm Edward Elric, and I'm from Amestris. I'm an alchemist."

"A what?" Sora wondered.

Grinning, Edward stood. Closing his eyes, he placed his palms together, and then, slammed them down onto the barrel ahead of him. The barrel transmuted into metal. Gawking, Sora glanced between Ed's happy face and the new barrel.

"Wow…" Once the barrel was returned to normal, Ed smirked and sat down. The next person looked up.

The next was a young girl with bluish hair and pale white eyes, seeming very shy. With a white jacket and blue pants, she bit her lip and spoke.

"I – I am Hinata – Hinata Hyuuga. I'm, uh… I'm from Konohagakure, and I am a – a ninja."

"Oh, cool!" Sora gawked, grinning like a child. "Can you do something?"

_Hmm… just like a little boy, Sora… hah…_

Chuckling came from nowhere and everywhere as an ominous presence came into the room. A form came from the shadows.

"Alucard?!" Sora jumped.

Laughing slightly, the vampire stood behind his master. The others in the room were either now on guard or shaken by the appearance of the man, perhaps for a few. "You… you are a vampire, aren't you? A very old one" A man in the back mentioned, curious.

"Indeed" Alucard made sure to smile widely to show off his fangs.

"A v – vampire?" The silver haired man who was soaking wet looked up at him. Alucard glanced over to him. The man smiled friendly like.

"Should – should I do something?" The shy ninja asked.

"Sure" Riku told her.

Nodding, Hinata stood and glanced around, red and shy. The silver haired man smiled encouragingly. So, she placed her hands together and closed her eyes.

"_Byakugan!_"

The veins on the side of her face became profound, and when she opened her eyes, they were strange, more focused, and lighter colored. Sora looked like a fish as she looked around.

"What do your eyes do?" Edward wondered, clearly as eager as Sora.

"I can see all around and through most anything" She told them.

Many of the men in the room became fidgety and weird. Sora didn't notice.

The Byakugan went away and her eyes returned to being white as the young girl sat down. They all turned their eyes to the next person.

It was Ichigo, the other boy who'd been arguing. He looked irritated, but spoke anyway and told them about himself, and how he was a Soul Reaper. After a little demonstration, he sat down, and the next person spoke.

This person was a man with very ragged clothes. With a small moustache and shaggy gray brown hair, the man spoke to the group. He was probably the oldest in the room, but for the immortals.

"I am Remus Lupin, from Orsa Letum, a wizard and former teacher." Lupin smiled faintly seemingly tired.

"A –"

Riku smacked Sora's head and he shut up.

The next person was a friend, Tifa. Smiling, she introduced herself. "I'm Tifa Lockhart, from Gaia, and I'm a fighter. And that's my boyfriend!" She smiled widely.

Vincent was sitting beside her, head down like he was embarrassed or shaking his head. Sora grinned as the others around him snickered a little; like they weren't sure whether to laugh or not. _I'm glad I know some people here, _Sora smiled.

Beside Vincent was a red headed man with a calm demeanor. He waved and smiled, his green eyes kind.

"I am Shuichi Minamino, from Makai, and I was sent here as a healer for the crew" Shuichi smiled. "You may call me Kurama"

"Hey, Kurama" Sora waved.

Beside Kurama was a familiar woman, with Alucard standing tall behind her. Glancing around with cold eyes, Sir Integra drew to full height, and when her eyes fell on Sora she smirked and rolled her eyes.

"I am Sir Integra Hellsing, of the Hellsing Organization …" Once she finished speaking, Integra sat back down.

"Sir Integra?" Ed wondered confused.

"Yes?"

"Oh, I mean… why Sir?"

"I am an authority figure, not a political side." Frowning, Integra dropped the subject and it was over. Ed looked confused but just shrugged.

Beside Integra was a man with black hair in purple robes, with a gold staff.

"Hello" He smiled. "I am a monk from the Feudal Lands, and my name is Miroku" He smiled. "I am just a humble monk"

Integra looked the man over, as if to see if this was true, and then looked away. Sora wondered what a monk was.

The soaking wet silver haired man had his long hair tied in a ponytail and wore glasses. He looked like a priest under the big gray blanket.

"Uh – Hi" He smiled and waved sheepishly. "My name is Abel Nightroad, and I am from Albion. I am a member of the Vatican"

Integra had a foul look but she didn't say anything.

The last person in the room sat beside Abel, and when Hinata saw him she bit her lip and looked away. Everyone looked at him, and even Sora was a little intimidated.

Dark circles surrounded the boy's eyes and wavy red hair sat on his head. He was pale, wearing black ninja clothes, and he wore a strange gourd on his back. When everyone's eyes fell on him, his eyes opened, showing dark, dark eyes.

"I am Gaara"


	9. The Sea, The Sky, The Earth

**OPS, MY BAD**

**Sulhadahne feels stupid. I haven't really ever been the diehard FMA fan, but I've liked it – and I've always loved Ed. But, not being the extremist Fullmetal Alchemist fangirl, I don't know the laws of alchemy. I made a mistake in the last chapter when I had Ed transmute the barrel – he can't do it like that. Sorry! Instead of turning wood to metal, he could do … I don't know, I need to read up on FMA!!! **

**Next time, I swear I will get it right! Throw a Canadian Moose at me if I don't!**

… **Seriously. And make it Canadian.**

0-0-0-0-0-0

The water was soft and beautiful as he watched it go back and forth. Only a moment ago, he'd been on the ship watching the water, and now he was on the shore watching the ship disappear.

_"Oh, hey!" Sora gasped in delight. Was that really the Captain he'd seen? "Oh, hey!" Leaning over his shoulder, Sora tried to get Riku's attention. He wasn't listening. The captain was disappearing through the crowd._

_"Darn! I want Riku to meet Jack!" Determined, Sora leapt off the ship to catch Jack, so he could introduce Riku and the Captain._

_But he didn't find the captain. And when he'd come back, the ship was disappearing off the shore._

Riku hadn't waited for him. Anger boiled in his skin. Riku hadn't waited.

…

_"Hah! Take that, evil captain Riku!"_

_"Oh no, I'm hit!"_

_"Now I'm the pirate king!"_

_I always wanted to be a pirate…_

Shaking the memories from his head, Sora bit his lip angrily. How could he? Was Riku mad at him?

The boy turned to walk away as the ship disappeared over the horizon. Tears were going down his cheeks as he left, but he ignored them.

"Jerk… leaving behind your best friend" Sora pouted angrily.

"I knew I'd make a better captain!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

The hall was enormous and towering, the high windows in the ceiling fogged over by smoke. In awe of the majesty, Kairi barely noticed the four large tables of students staring in the same such awe at her and the other foreign students. Gasps and gawking came from both sides as the students entered. Namine giggled in delight and pointed up at the floating candlesticks in the air, and at the table of teachers ahead of them.

As they came up to the teachers, the large group came to a halt in front of a stool with a small, ragged hat on it. Curious, Kairi tilted her head, looking her over. It seemed to open its eyes and look at her, and then gasp in shock and maybe delight.

The crowd became loud as they all talked amongst themselves, but everyone quieted down when an elderly wizard stood from the staff table. Kairi smiled, remembering Albus Dumbledore from the summit.

"Welcome, my friends, from worlds far and wide. You are here perhaps, to represent your home and your family and friends; or you are here to continue your work with the talented souls outside. We are proud and honored –"

Kairi wasn't sure what it was he was proud and honored over, because as the elder man spoke, a loud blast came from the hall doors. Spinning around, the princess took the time to notice the enormous entrance they'd come from.

The door was creaking open, and the sound of boots walking through water echoed down the hall.

"Sorry we're late" A familiar voice chuckled. "But the kid felt the urge to have a nervous breakdown on the way to school" Grinning, Xigbar was dragging Demyx in by the hood. He threw the boy into the crowd as the blonde yelped and fell – he was of course caught by fellow members of the organization, all grinning down at him.

Dumbledore, eyes twinkling, watching as the blonde sheepishly stood and looked up at him.

"Sorry" He mumbled.

The elderly professor continued his speech, and welcomed the group. Then the woman stepped up.

"We shall begin the sorting. Once you've been sorted, please sit with your house" the elder professor told the students. She then began calling names in no particular order, as those from other worlds all had different ways of naming each other.

Kairi didn't really know or care about the first few, but she giggled and held her breath when Axel was called up.

"His hair might frighten that pour hat to death" Namine smirked. The girls giggled as they watched Axel saunter up. Of course, it was then everyone in the room realized he was one of a group who were not wearing the school uniform.

The professor with the green hat pursed her lip. A few teachers looked at each other, one particularly dark one sneered, but Axel looked confused. Then he looked to his clothes, realizing the problem. With a smirk and an arrogant air, Axel turned and thrust his hands in the air signing the crowd with "rock on" hand signs. The few organization members in the crowd laughed as Axel just grinned and sat on the chair.

Very displeased, the professor went ahead and placed the hat on his spiky hair. It frowned, thinking, but then nodded and proclaimed,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

One of the tables, beneath the lion banner, became loud and rambunctious, cheering happily as the red head sauntered down to join them. A pair of red heads welcomed him, two twins who were grinning at his hair and his clothes with happy looks.

Kairi shook her head and smiled, turned back to the hat. More people went – some she knew. Marluxia joined Slytherin and Larxene followed after, and Belle joined Ravenclaw. A strange looking boy joined Hufflepuff, and many others came and went. Paine joined Gryffindor, sitting a few seats down from Axel, who happily introduced his friend to his new buddies.

Then the name was called.

"Namine!"

Kairi's heart shook. What if she and Namine weren't together? Oh no, this could never be good, they were so different, so far apart…

Shyly, slowly, Namine stepped to the front. Demyx yelled her name happily, and those that knew them laughed a little. Kairi's throat was dry. The little petite princess sat on the stool softly, her legs dangling, and when the hat was placed on her head it was too large for her.

Suddenly, a voice was in her head.

_Hmm, two of you? Connected, how strange? One born from the other's darkness when neither of you had any to begin with? How very strange…_

_They call you Princess of Darkness? Memory Witch? Hmm…_

_So sweet and kind, so afraid… full of nervousness…_

_But yet determined to see things through, sure that she won't fail her friends…_

_But where to put you?_

Kairi bit her lip. _Please! I want to be with her!_

_Oh, there you are! The two of you are one… let's see… brave, resourceful… bitter, sad… mournful… what causes your pain?_

_**Kairi?**_

The red head stared in shock at the hat and the blonde sitting beneath it.

"I know where" The hat finally whispered.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Cheers came from all around, a dull sound to Kairi's ears. The house for the intelligent, smart. Not the place Kairi would be.

And as Namine walk past and the gap between them seemed so vast and empty, Kairi felt her hand twitch, reaching out to the blonde who was so far away. Why did Kairi feel so far away, from everyone? _What causes your pain?_

Kairi couldn't tell. And as Namine disappeared, melted into the crowd of Ravenclaws, she could tell it would only grow.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Riku was watching the waves as the ship was steered towards the mass of black ahead. Everyone had changed into suitable water attire – Riku wore a loose white shirt and tight black pants, and with a sigh, his head drooped.

_Sora where are you?_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The boy was curled up in a street corner. He didn't know what to do. Return home to prying eyes? _Why did you leave?_ Leon would understand… maybe… maybe Cloud would understand… Cloud was good at that… understanding him…

Sniffling, the brunette rubbed his red eyes.

What to do?

_Why was Riku always leaving him behind?_

0-0-0-0-0-0

Leon rubbed his groggy eyes and continued working. The ships were all preparing, unloading, as the lights of Hogwarts began to dim and night settled in. Few happy voices were laughing and cheering, walking around in the lamp light. Shuffling through papers and documents, Leon hummed a quiet lullaby he remembered from his childhood. That was a bit strange, as he'd never had a mother to sing him songs.

_Had to of picked it up somewhere, _He thought. Perhaps, for the short time Leon knew him, Ansem had hummed the song as he worked in the labs. Pondering the possibility, Leon didn't hear Rinoa walk in.

"Hey" She smiled. Surprised, Leon looked up, and smiled back.

"Hey yourself"

"Ariel wants to have a word with you before she goes to the castle -"

"Which Ariel?" Leon interrupted.

"Atlantica's princess, and the Guado are concerned about the feeling of death, it seems to have spooked them or something"

"Feeling of death?" Another voiced asked. Cid had walked into the tent.

"The Guado are a race who can 'smell death' or feel it. No wonder they feel death, with all the ghosts in the castle" Rolling his eyes, Leon turned to file papers as Cid looked the documents over.

"Well, you'll just have to tell them about the ghosts, because they don't know what's going on" Rinoa told him, hand on her hip as she jutted it out. Leon was ready to make that movement illegal, it made her features stand out so much more…

"What's this shit? Legal stuff?" Cid asked, picking up a document and holding it up to the lamp.

"Stuff for the Ministry of Magic" Snatching the paper from the blonde, Leon went ahead and placed it in an envelope. Cid looked around; most of the documents on the table looked like they were addressed to the Ministry.

"The government of this world. They want files on every different civilization here. Those are Radiant Garden's papers." Rinoa explained.

Leon placed a few more papers in the envelope, and approached the window. With a whistle, he called down a tawny barn owl from the Owlery and began tying the letter to its leg.

"Owls?" Cid asked.

"There's no end to what you don't know" Leon rolled his eyes. Leaving the owl for a moment, the man walked over to pick up two more envelopes. Giggling, Rinoa covered her mouth with her hand, and Cid gave her a look. As if to challenge the girl, Cid began to approach the owl.

Cautiously, Cid approached the bird, who cocked its head at him. When the blonde went to stroke it, the bird snapped its beak and bit his finger.

"Hey!" Cid cursed and held his hand. Rinoa was laughing harder. "Damn Pigeon" Chuckling, Leon attached the last letters, sending the owl on its way.

"Nice, Cid" Rinoa laughed, turning and walking away, heading towards a group of girls across the way.

"Cid, Carlotta wants you" A man leaned in the door. "And Shera wants to know if you plan on eating the meal she _slaved over _anytime soon" The messenger had a sly look in his eye when he said this. Suddenly flustered, Cid scratched the back of his head. The messenger disappeared as quickly as he came.

"Damn, always fucking busy around here" Cid rolled his eyes and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, ready to light up.

"Not in here you don't" Leon told him. "The twins are asleep in the other room. What kind of grandpa would you be if you smoked around the kids"

"Not to mention Vexen might throw his chemistry set at me." Cid joked, walking away with a cigarette in hand. Rolling his eyes, Leon wiped sweat from his brow and sat down, finally finished for the night. The Guado would have to be dealt with, but that would be talking, something he was good at reducing. At least he had no more paperwork. Not to mention, Ariel had wanted to speak to him, he'd better attend to that – she was probably busy with her newborn girl –

Suddenly, a jingle rose into the air, and Leon was jolted out of his thoughts. Quickly, he reached for his cell phone.

"Hello?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Le – Leon?"

A soft, sobbing sound came from his end of the phone. Biting his lips, Sora tried to stop being such a baby.

"Sora?"

"Yeah" Mumbling quietly, Sora adjusted his hold on the phone.

"Well, hey, how's the trip? What's wrong?"

Quickly, and hurriedly, Sora launched into explanation telling the older man about his jealousy over Riku's captainship, and then how they'd been a bit edgy around each other, and how he'd been left behind. The boy felt so terrible for crying, for while he had no qualm about crying, he didn't like doing it so pathetically to someone so strong like Leon.

Leon thought for a moment, hard, and in detail, about what to say to the child when he responded. All thoughts of Guado and business had left his mind.

"Sora, why do you think Riku 'left you behind'?"

Shrugging, Sora rubbed his bruised elbow. He wasn't sure how he'd hurt it. "I – I don't know"

"I had a friend like that once"

Blinking, Sora sat up, very attentive. "R – Really?"

"I mean, someone so different from me, he was infuriating. But he was the closest person to me. I was quiet and stoic, but he was fiery, rebellious – every order given, I went out of my way to follow it to the mark, and he went out of his way to disobey. But we were friends."

The memories were strange to be talking about. Leon smiled. "Eventually though we ended up on opposites sides of a conflict. Like you and Riku. We were enemies then"

"Wow" Sora smirked. "It's like history all over again"

"That's what I thought" Chuckling, Leon crossed his arms, watching children outside the tent, rushing around, looking up at the school they wished they'd have been able to attend. Not everyone had magical talent. "Well, he and I fought for a long time, and a lot of scars came from that. He gave me mine"

"You mean – the one on your face?"

"So tactful" said Leon as he rolled his eyes. Laughing a little sheepishly, Sora asked for Leon to continue.

"That's all"

"What?" Stunned, Sora jumped.

"I haven't seen him since Gaia, back when I got hit by that van" Leon explained. "After the war, we saw each other one time, talked about the old days. We weren't able to forgive each other for what happened – not totally. I'm not as angry at him now, and we can have civil conversation, but it can't be the same between us since too much has happened."

"I don't regret what I did or the path I took. But it cost me a close friend. Now, in your case, you followed your own path, and when your best friend took the long one you made a huge u turn to get him back." Smirking, Leon nodded his head as he spoke, walking around the desk. "Both of you are still friends"

"And while I know the relationship can be stressful, with all the pressure on you both, but that friendship was worth leaping into darkness for back then – is it still now?"

Sora felt his tears slowly dry. "Y – Yeah"

"I know you're hurt, but I have a feeling Riku might be on that ship now, wondering why you decided to stay behind"

Surprised, Sora let that sink in. "Maybe; I guess – I didn't really think about it"

Laughing, Leon nodded. "I know, you're a kid, that's why you have adults to think for you"

"Hey!"

They shared a laugh, chatted a few more minutes. Sora thanked Leon immensely.

"I've got a ship to catch up to" Sora told him, smiling a little. Fatherly, Leon understood.

"Good luck kid"

With a sigh the man said goodbye, hung up, and pocketed the phone. Footsteps came to the tent door.

"Ariel still wants to see you" Rinoa nodded to him, with a broad smile, and a knowing look. "You know, you'll make a wonderful father" Winking, Rinoa turned to saunter away.

Dumbfounded, Leon stared after her. "W – What?"

"You heard me"

Chasing after the dark haired woman, Leon stuttered and insisted on a full answer and Rinoa laughed the whole way.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Squall, you're as gullible as ever!"

Taking hold of his larger hands, Rinoa winked at him. "But when the time comes – you really will make a good father"

With a little red blush on his face, Leon consented to the comment and added his own. "For now I have enough kids to handle!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sighing, Riku let the wind whip his hair around. Silently he wondered about Sora and Kairi and what they were doing. Was it for the best that Sora decided to stay behind? With a bit of a sad look, Riku let his eyes wander over the horizon, almost willing Sora to be there, flying towards them.

"Captain –" A voice called over his shoulder. Riku spun around.

"The edge of this world is near – the Sea of Sorrows is dead ahead" The silver haired priest Abel reported. "Also – if I may ask, are you all right?"

The kindly priest, dressed in seaman garb instead of his religious attire, stepped up respectively to Riku. The younger silver haired boy looked flustered, taken aback, but he nodded forlornly.

"Sora's not on the ship" Riku told him. "I don't know why he left without saying goodbye"

"Well, that's strange" Abel commented, quirking his nose. "He doesn't seem like the type to back out on his friends. Perhaps there is a reason"

"I guess" Riku sighed, arm on the railing. Glancing him over, Abel wondered what he could do. Perhaps distract him?

"So, what was your home world like?" Leaning on the rail, Abel tried lowering himself to see the boy's face. "If you don't mind my asking"

Smiling a little, Riku shook his head. "I don't mind" He sat up a little taller, stretching his back. "It was a chain of islands, warm and sunny all year round – much different from what I've heard your world is like. Not many people, but a lot of spirit"

"Sounds like a wonderful place to live" Abel smiled, his soft, kind voice making him all the more brotherly and helpful.

"It was" Riku told him.

"Was?"

"Well" Looking around the skyline, Riku's eyes took on a darker hue. "Sometimes things happen that change our outlook on things. No matter how much we love something, sometimes… we can never look at it the same way."

"Ah" Seemingly enlightened, Abel nodded and closed his eyes. "I thought that was the case. Did something bad happen to you?"

Chuckling ironically, Riku gave him a smirk. "Something bad, huh? Heh. Something bad…"

Suddenly, before the priest could wonder what Riku meant, something came soaring over the roaring ocean waves. A silver hue covered it in a bright aura as the form sped across the dark ocean. Squinting at it as it came closer, Riku stood to attention, hoping it really was who he thought it was…

"Hey, Captain, see that? What is it?" Ichigo asked, leaning against a rope on the edge. Edward glared at him from across the way, but leaned over the edge to see besides.

"Don't worry – it's him all right" Riku smirked.

"We're almost to the edge!" Lupin called, warning everyone that soon enough they would leave Port Royal and travel to uncharted waters.

"Wait! Sora has to get on first!" Riku told them, his happiness soaring.

"S – Sora?" Hinata wondered, her hands on the mast.

A loud cheer split through the air as the silver blur flew above them. Riku laughed.

"Look at me!" The boy cheered, flying circles around the mast, before landing happily on the ship. He shook the timber, causing poor Abel to yelp, tumble, and almost fall overboard yet again. Luckily for him, a tall crewman had just appeared on board and latched on to the man's ankle to keep him from falling.

"Oh, thank you!" Abel grinned. His grinned died at the evil, sly look in the man's red eyes. Alucard grinned at him. Abel stuttered and bit his lip.

"Leave the Vatican trash alone, Alucard" Integra commanded loudly. Abel seemed stunned, embarrassed and confused as Alucard sauntered away, barely glancing over his shoulder to the priest.

Sora was breathing heavily on the deck, the center of attention. In his final form, he was a sight to see.

"Miss me?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Everyone was sorted, and everyone was sitting. Kairi bit her lip and smiled at Namine as she sat down, wishing they'd been nearby, at least. Sadly, Kairi wasn't in Namine's house. No, she had to be with Axel and the troublemakers.

"Come on, Gryffindors are cool!" Axel grinned. Kairi rolled her eyes.

"You know, Sora would be a Gryffindor if he were here" Roxas commented; he was Gryffindor as well.

Taken aback, Kairi thought about it, and smiled. "Yeah – he would be"

Happiness and laughter all around her, Kairi wondered again why she was sad. Glancing around, she looked for friends to sit by. Paine was down the way, and Yuffie and Rikku were with her; Yuna was with Namine and Zexion at the other table; and most everyone else but for Mitsuka, Demyx, and Luxord, who were Hufflepuff, (to her, the Gambler would've been a better Gryffindor – but oh well) they were all Gryffindor.

Sighing, Kairi cricked her neck. "Why am I always so depressed?"

"Oh, its not you"

Spinning around, Kairi looked up. A tall red head was standing above her, with pretty blue eyes and a kind smile. "May I sit here?"

Nodding, Kairi scooted down so the girl could sit.

"What do you mean?" Kairi wondered, confused.

Smiling, the red head placed her chin in one hand and spoke. "Because – you're the princess of Light – one of them. The Seventh one, right?"

"Yeah" Kairi wasn't surprised that a total stranger knew her.

"Well, everyone's been worried about Kingdom Hearts being missing and the Heartless coming back, right?"

"Yeah"

Smirking knowingly, the red head turned to the meal in front of her. "Well, if I had a heart full of light that came from Kingdom Hearts itself, then I think I'd be depressed if Kingdom Hearts was gone, don't you?"

As the stranger turned to her dinner, she left Kairi staring dumbfounded. It had been simple all along – she was a Princess connected to the heart of the universe, and with it gone…

"Wow" Shaking her head, Kairi tried to eat a little.

She hoped Riku and Sora were better off than her…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_"I'm the only one who can save Marina."_

_He raised the blade ahead of him. It was pointed at Cero. _

_"Tier - !"_

_Before he could finish his words, Cero felt a stabbing pain in his chest, just below his heart. Darkness surrounded the blade even more, as the tendrils reached out and impaled Cero's skin. It was going deeper, digging, burning into his skin, reaching up into his heart, burning everything away with darkness and hatred._

_"Ah – ah – AHHHH! AHHHH!!" _

_It was like he was being burned alive from the inside – darkness growing, swelling inside of him. Then it just stopped. And almost, like slow motion, he fell, gracefully, broken; his dead body plummeted down into the darkness, disappeared into the blue light down in the well._

_Tier let the blade fall, gasping, and looked at his right hand. It was singed, burned a dark red from holding the blade. It clattered to the floor._

_"What – what?" Gasping, the boy felt pain growing in his own heart – a burning sensation – so painful – like he was being burned alive – _

_With a surprised look, Tier spun around slowly as blood poured from a wound just over his heart. Someone – was standing there._

_It was him. _The traitor. The one who sold him lies, told him he could save Marina – tricked him, gave Cero the blade, but ha, Cero's dead, I killed him… _Tier's thoughts were becoming strange, as he lost blood._

_But the blood pouring from his wounds soon changed color, as the stoic, emotionless man watched him die. It became a black liquid – the burning in his heart became stronger, terribly, as if flames were licking his skin from the inside – it was so terrible – _

_"W – Why?!" Tier gasped, black oozing over his lip. "W – Why him? I – you told me – I – WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?"  
_

_"_You've been tied to the darkness_." Xehanort whispered the look in his eyes strange, faraway. "Both of you. _Soon to be completely eclipsed._"_

_Stepping around the boy, arms behind his back, Xehanort watched him fall to his knees, his hand clutching at the black hole over his heart. The blade on the ground was shaking violently, terribly – and then it shattered into a thousand pieces. Tier was screaming terribly, enough to make the ears bleed._

_"_There is so very much to learn._" Xehanort whispered, looking down into the well. "_I understand so little. Is it a meaningless effort…?"

_Tier gave one last short breath._ "One who knows nothing… can understand nothing…"

_Xehanort turned to the boy. Tier fell to the floor, his eyes dark, sitting in a mix of blood and darkness. _

_Xehanort kneeled beside him. "And now… has my plan worked? Perhaps I have been mistaken. But I have doubtlessly created a connection that will last through the ages."_

_"The boys will be tied together, for all eternity. I have no doubt… at least that ambition has been decided."_

_Suddenly, he turned his head. He was being watched._

_In the corner of the room was a crack in the wall, a path that had been created in a strange accidental explosion. It led to the throne room, but no one had ever found the path. Until today, it seemed._

_For behind the crack watching him were two blue eyes. They grew wide when his red irises gazed at them, and whoever it was turned and fled into the darkness._


	10. Crossing the Sea of Sorrows

**YES I AM A LAZY ASS, WHY DO YOU ASK?**

**It's been a while, my friends, and I would blame high school and lack of inspiration, but you guys know all that stuff, huh? Not to mention my chapter got erased once… sob… But anyway…**

**To simplify the way this story is told it will, in part be told TWICE. I am going to continue on with telling the story of Sora and Riku on the ship, after a small bit of Hogwarts, and then, once I've told seven chapters of them, I will go back and write the same plotline, but with Hogwarts.**

**So, for example; if each chapter was a day, I'd write that day first as seen by the Ship people, then as seen by Kairi and those at the school. It's simpler than jumping back and forth since ship life and school life are so engaging. I'd rather put detail on both when I work on them.**

**So, after a bit of a page about Hogwarts, I'm jumping over to Sora and everybody for SEVEN CHAPTERS! I hope that's okay with everybody!**

**And also, I have a small little thingy for everybody written by Key of Ra. She wrote a story about what happened on the way to Hogwarts from the summit, on the ship. And I've decided to begin a contest; guys, write the best ideas you can about what happened on the way to Hogwarts and the best ones will be posted here! I'll even have a reward for those people! Can't you tell I love voting and contests and stuff? Anyways…**

**Soon I might be able to post art about this story, since I think I'll have a chance to scan stuff onto the internet. I'll tell you if I do!**

**ALL RIGHT! Let us not delay any longer! Story time!**

0-0-0-0-0-0

She was in the sky flying high above the puffy white clouds with her hair all about her, happier than ever. He was on her left side and Riku on her right, and they were all soaring and laughing… but then she realized she was naked, and the boys were there… and she wasn't flying at all, she was falling down a tunnel, but the tunnel would never end…

Eyes suddenly wide open the young teen clutched her blanket tighter around her in the four poster bed. Where was she? Who were all these strangers around her?

Wait… she was at school. And Paine was in the bed next to her, and the one snoring across the way was Yuffie. She was okay. She was going to be okay.

Sighing, Kairi sat up, brushing red hair out of her eyes. Her shirt was sweaty and her bed terribly messy from all her stirring in the night. Dark bags were under her eyes, and by looking at the large clock at the end of the room she could see it was only 2:45 or so. With a haggard sigh, Kairi slipped out of bed and put on her slippers.

"You okay?" Paine was awake, looking at her, curled up under her blankets on the bed. Kairi looked up and smiled slightly.

"Just need to get up" Kairi told her. "A little restless"

"Yeah" Paine muttered, and her eyes fluttered closed. As she slipped on her robe, Kairi smiled serenely at the older girl, and made her way out of the room.

The Gryffindor Common Room was deathly silent but for the stirring of the last embers of the fire, and all was very dark. Kairi didn't mind. In the back of her head she could feel Namine, sitting up in her room in the light of the moon, drawing pictures. She smiled. It felt like Namine was smiling too.

_Bad dream?_

"Yeah" Kairi whispered aloud, but she knew Namine could hear. "I'm okay"

_I know, _the blonde giggled. She returned to her work. A little confused, Kairi wondered what the laugh was for. But she didn't ask.

Slowly, she strode over to the window, moonlight pouring through it. It was a nostalgic feeling, though Kairi had no true memories of a window full of moonlight; nor could she think of why it would be important. But it was beautiful.

Curling up on the windowsill, Kairi placed her arms on her knees and stared out the window, unsure of what to make of how life had changed. She was once again the one left behind, waiting, yet she felt like she had a larger part to play. This time she would not wait.

Moving a little, Kairi placed her head against the window. Her eyes rested on the full moon high above them, glowing just above the treetops. Slowly, she watched it change a little, but only when it had changed did she notice the difference. With a small gasp the girl sat up, looking out to the moon with both hands on the glass pane.

It was shaped like a heart, and brilliantly white; a throbbing, pulsating need hit Kairi head on, like a sudden migraine, but it was a wonderful feeling. Like been blasted with cool air on a hot summer day.

Amazed, Kairi slowly came to stand, her body pressed against the glass, stepping on tiptoe as if to try and get closer. Her wide green eyes reflected the bright light, changing from vibrant green to a hue of gray.

"Hello?"

The spell was broken and Kairi quickly turned her head. A boy was standing at the end of the dormitory staircase, dressed in blue pajamas and a robe. Dark, unruly hair on his head and glasses over his eyes – eyes that looked just like Kairi's brilliant green ones.

"Oh, uh – hi" Kairi whispered, slowly stepping down off of the window sill. She glanced back – the moon was normal. Kingdom Hearts was gone.

The boy was glancing around her as if to look for what she was looking for. Kairi spun back around, brushing her hair aside. They both glanced nervously at each other.

"Uh – so your Gryffindor?" The princess wondered.

"Uh – yeah" The boy muttered with a small smile. "Kind of have to be"

"Oh – yeah" Kairi murmured, realizing her mistake. The boy laughed a little.

"So, uh, what's your name?" She asked, walking around the sofa towards him. The teen seemed shocked by her question; confused, Kairi stuttered a response.

"Um – did I say something I shouldn't of?" She wondered, searching his face for an answer. Something was there she hadn't seen before – a strange scar on his head.

"Oh, no, I um – just" He broke off. "I'm Harry Potter."

Nodding, Kairi stuck her hand out to him. "Ranshin – err, I mean, Kairi Ranshin."

The boy nodded a bit eagerly, and then went to shake her hand. They were both acting rather stiff. Perhaps it was their strange impromptu meeting that caused the reaction.

"Well, - why are you up so late?" Kairi began, walking back to the window to sit.

"Couldn't sleep" He avoided her eyes – it wasn't the whole truth he told her.

"Me neither" She said – which also was a half truth.

The two stood in each other's presence for a few more moments as they both fidgeted nothing to say, before Harry finally sighed and motioned towards the door.

"I'm uh – gonna go back upstairs" He said, turning towards the stairs.

"Good night" Kairi called. The boy gave her one last look before ascending to the next hall.

_Who was that?_

"A boy in my grade, I suppose" Kairi responded as she turned to the window.

"Who are you talking to?" Harry asked, reappearing on the upper balcony.

Kairi smiled and giggled to herself. Namine knew the answer, and so did she and they spoke together, as one.

"Nobody"

0-0-0-0-0-0

He was snoring soundly in his hammock bed unaware of the world around him. Sora Yuuchou mumbled in his sleep and turned a bit, pulling his blanket tighter around him. The hull of the ship was dead quiet but for the snoring, and very dark, full of shadows. Sora adjusted again.

This time his movements flipped the hammock and with a loud smack the boy hit the wooden floor. Across the room, Alucard stood, looking out the window, and in surprise he spun to look at the boy. Sora was still snoring, face down on the floor.

Blinking in surprise, Alucard shook his head. "Foolish boy" He chuckled, arms crossed as he turned and walked onto the deck.

Abel was at the wheel, leading the ship through uncharted waters. Only hours before the crew of Riku's ship _The Yume _had left Port Royal and entered the Sea of Sorrows, a vast ocean as black as night, too dark to even glance through to see within.

The silver haired man didn't even notice Alucard appear as he was concentrating on the vast waters ahead. Soon enough it would be someone else's turn and the priest would sleep, but he didn't seem tired anyhow, being use to long shifts.

Wiping some sweat off his brow, Abel bit his lip. There was no true way of knowing where to go – no stars, no map, and no land anywhere. Absolutely nothing.

Sighing, Abel gave a small smile. "It's better than having no clues at all. Keep going forward, we'll find a way"

Under the light of the stars, Abel's long hair took on a beautiful shine, fluttering in the wind. Amongst the ocean ways the ship might be lost, but it was free. Freedom pushed the sails forward – freedom cradled the wooden hull of the _Yume._ Sighing Abel adjusted his glasses, smiling at the horizon far ahead.

"Talking to yourself?"

Alucard smiled broadly and Abel was taken totally by surprise at his sudden appearance. The man tripped, yelping, the wheel spinning out of his grasped. A strong gloved hand took firm hold of it. Quickly brushing his hair out of his face, Abel blushed and sat up. "A – Alucard – san!"

The vampire laughed at Abel's surprise. "Do I terrify you so?"

"Well, of course" The man offered, standing, and brushing himself off. "You couldn't expect to take everything in stride in the middle of the night when you've had no sleep. You startled me!" He laughed, scratching the back of his head.

Nodding, Alucard turned away, allowing Abel to take the wheel. The tall vampire strode over to the side as Abel led them on through the night.

A bit nervous around the other man, Abel looked over to him. Hair blown into his face, Abel addressed the other. "Um, if I may ask… who is that woman with you? Is she your friend?"

A small, ironic smirk came over Alucard's face. "Perhaps… she is my master. I am at her whim, her mercy."

Surprised at the blunt answer, Abel blinked, with nothing to really say in response. "Uh… well, I …" He turned back to the horizon.

"I suppose I can relate. In a way"

Alucard looked over his shoulder.

Smiling as if to look back on sunny memories, Abel continued. "She is a friend. Very stern, and sometimes rather cruel, yet I am loyal to her and will follow her to the end." He sighed. "I hope she is well"

Laughing, Abel looked back at Alucard's red eyes. "Actually, your master reminds me of her – strong, to the point, no – nonsense. So we have something in common!"

Alucard's long coat fluttered in the cold breeze. "You are of the Vatican"

Surprised by the sudden mention, Abel nodded. Alucard continued. "My Master is Protestant – and if you know your history you know where you stand in her eyes." Suddenly Abel looked taken back, a bit disappointed. "And where she stands, so do I."

"Oh" Abel muttered his voice rather low. "I see"

The two stood in silence. Slowly, the night was ending. Light danced across the ocean waves.

"Well…" Abel sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "At least you will know I do not share the sentiments." He smiled.

The day began with that bright, pained smile.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_One step just behind me _

_One stretch is out of hand _

_  
Someone just beside me _

_  
Some already dead _

The sun beat down hard on the backs of the crewmen and women of the _Yume _midday came around. At the helm was Lupin once again, sweat pouring down his back. Most of the men had removed their shirts, and the women had tied them up to their midriffs.

The only normally dressed man was Alucard, whom seemed to be unaffected by any sort of weather or motion. At one point the ship lurched terribly and water covered the deck – Ichigo almost flew off and Ed smacked into the mast – yet Alucard simply stood it out and afterwards was totally dry. This was the last time Sora was allowed to have the wheel.

The dull, repetitive work of the ship was hard to adjust to for most of the group who were use to action. Ichigo spent most of his time staring out into space, but Sora was use to the hum drum – though Jack's ship was never really "hum drum".

_  
I found bull of time _

_  
Keep walking just beside me _

_  
I want to watch the tread _

Hinata ran up the stairs to the deck. "The first group is done with lunch!"

Ichigo grinned. "Finally!"

Ed smirked. "What took so long?"

Both boys dashed for the doorway at the same time, so both boys smashed their foreheads together and fell back onto the deck. Hinata, wide eyed, stared at both, very concerned. "I – Ichigo – san?" E – Ed – san?"

"Ow!!" Ed grimaced, holding his head. He jumped up, steaming. "What the hell was that for?"

Angry, Ichigo leapt up too. "What do you mean? It wasn't my fault!"

"So was! You should've looked where you were running!"

"Hey! You didn't look either!"

"Yeah I did!"

Hinata's eyes jumped back and forth between the boys, her face red; unsure of what to do, she tried to calm them, but she wasn't really heard.

"Um, guys?"

"Move out of the way!"

All three turned in surprise to the newcomer standing before them. Hair pulled up out of her face, the blonde frowned at the two boys.

"If you can't bloody well stand each other I'll lock you in a room and see how long you last" Integra told them. "Now get the bloody hell out of the way or I'll make you move!"

Both boys jumped away, eyes wide in fear as Integra glowered at them. Scared, Hinata couldn't move, shivering in place. Integra's eyes moved down to her. The young girl flinched.

"You just have to be forceful, determined." Integra told her. Surprised, the ninja looked up again. The older woman was walking down the staircase. "Next time, don't let them ignore you" She called up the stairs.

Amazed and in pleasant shock Hinata stood at the head of the stairs as the second group went down for lunch, her eyes on Integra's back the whole time._  
_

_  
You're always in my head _

_  
Always in my head _

_  
Always in my head_

They said quick comes no to 

_  
Breaking point _

_  
I spread to cross and hear me out _

_  
I'm running up and still I took over _

_  
Watch our fortune cross_

You're always in my head 

_  
Always in my head _

_  
Always in my head _

"Hinata! We need someone at the crow's nest!"

The girl snapped out of her daze and nodded. "H – hai!"

Confused, Lupin blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh" The girl smiled. "I mean, yes sir." The teen scurried to her post.

The Japanese priest stepped up onto the deck, having finished a wonderful meal and having been punched in the face by a beautiful, bodacious woman, and almost having been mauled by a tall, dark man. (Miroku supposed it had been a bad idea to ask Tifa to bear his children; the man in red seemed to be very protective. And there was no way he'd even approach the blonde! That other man in red was REALLY scary!)

Sighing, the Buddhist walked onto the deck and saw Lupin. "Oh! Remus! Would you like me to relieve you?"

The older man shrugged. "Only if you feel up to it, I could go for an hour or two more"

"Go rest!" Miroku told him, rolling up his sleeves. "It might not seem normal for a humble monk, but I can take the reign for the moment!" He smiled.

"Well, thanks" Lupin smiled. Turning over his shoulder the man nodded to Hinata. "Hinata! I'd like to talk to you sometime soon. Would you mind coming by my hammock later?"

Hinata giggled at the little joke – coming by his "hammock" since no one really had rooms but the girls. "Yes sir, Lupin – san!"

The gray haired man smiled and headed downstairs, nodding to the priest. Miroku sighed again. "Wish I knew as much as I said I did." He moped.

Below deck a small group was enjoying lunch as the first group headed upstairs – breaking away from Tifa and Vincent as they headed on deck, Sora ran into the dining area. The aroma was delicious smelling – Kurama sure knew how to cook!

"Hey, Sora" Aimé waved to the brunette as he headed up to grab his lunch. Sora gave her a thumbs up and a grin.

Leaping happily into line, Sora grabbed a plate. "Hey, Kurama!"

The red head smiled kindly to Sora. "Hello, Sora. Is it nice upstairs?"

The boy sighed heavily. "Hot as hell! I like it better down here!" Kurama laughed.

"I'm sure you do"

"Mmm" The boy licked his lips, grabbing a little of everything Kurama had to offer. The red head sweat dropped as he watched Sora load his plate sky high with bread and meat and very little healthy things.

Someone smacked him in the back of the head. "Eat your greens"

Sora spun around. "Riku?"

The silver haired boy grinned and winked. "Hey, that's what Cid would say if he were here" Riku told him. "Well, almost. It would be more like…"

"EAT YOUR GODDAMN GREENS!" The two boys laughed at once. Though left out of the joke, Kurama seemed to understand and smiled as Riku filled his own plate.

"But seriously…" Riku repeated. "If you're gonna be at the top of your game, you need to eat better. Get some green beans or something."

"Man, you sound like my mom!" Sora told him.

"Not meaning to sound too fatherly at the moment, but…" Kurama began looking very sheepish. "But he's right Sora, you need to eat healthy." Defeated, Sora hung his head.

"Not to mention, you might not want to eat at the end of the table. It might be hazardous." Kurama laughed nervously.

Surprised, both boys shared confused glances and then turned to look down at the last table.

Ichigo and Ed were sitting across from each other, fire dancing in their eyes as both grimaced deeply and radiated extreme anger and violence. Both were shoveling their food fast and violently, crumbs flying as they attempted to each finish first. Devouring their meal they both grabbed their drinks and gulped it all down, streams of water dripping around their lips.

Integra was twitching. "Disgusting"

Gaara was behind her leaning against the wall. He rolled his eyes.

Ed and Ichigo, red faced and trembling, grimaced at each other, ready to kill.

Suddenly, Ichigo gained a strange, confused look. Clasping a hand around his mouth, he tried keeping his mouth shut, yet couldn't.

"_BURAAAP_!" Embarrassed and red face Ichigo twitched, holding a hand over his stomach. Ed twitched too. And then he smiled.

"HAAHAHAHA!"

Grimacing, Ichigo sat up. "Shut up! I bet you can't beat it!"

Ed suddenly grinned. "Oh yeah? I can totally top that!"

"They wouldn't" Integra gawked.

"They would" Kurama sighed.

Ed pulled back and puffed out his stomach. Then, "_ICCCHIIGO IS A DUUUMBAAAAS!"_

Ichigo was blown back and had to hold on to his seat to stay still. Then he smirked. "Is that all? Here!" He puffed up his chest. "_YOU'RE A BEAN!!"_

_"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"_

_"PUNY, PUNY, PUNY!"_

Roaring, Integra stood and pulled a pistol out of her pant pocket. "_SHUT THE HELL UP!!"_

Shots could be heard all around the ship, not to mention sissy, very UN – manly screams.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sighing, Riku began pacing around his office. Two days of sea faring and no sign of any change. What were they to look for? How would they find the kingdom and stop the Heartless? Why was he in charge?

A knock came at his door. Sighing, Riku called. "Come in"

Shyly peaking around the door, Aimé came into the room. "Captain?"

"Oh, Aimé!" Riku straightened up, walking up to her. "What can I do?"

"I have some information, sir" Aimé told him. Riku looked serious, and nodded for her to sit across from his desk.

She walked over and took a seat. "I began researching the 'Sea of Sorrows' to see if the old texts said anything, yet I didn't find a definite reference." She began. "I did find this"

The girl pulled out a big book and laid it on his desk. Riku sat across from it as Aimé leafed through it.

"In here it mentions that after the Great War the kingdom plunged into a sea of sorrows. This could be a metaphor for a very dark, bad period of time for the kingdom, yet in the book I didn't notice that Sea of Sorrows is capitalized."

"So you're saying the kingdom could've literally been plunged into the Sea of Sorrows?" Riku asked. Aimé nodded.

"The kingdom was a floating kingdom, in the sky. Perhaps it is fallen not only because it no longer exists but because it also fell from the sky and fell beneath the sea."

"But then why did Hojo's video show it still in the sky?" Riku wondered.

Aimé shrugged. "I'm not sure. But this is what worries me."

Flipping forward a few pages, Aimé continued. "The book talks of having to cross the sea of your sorrows to reach the kingdom. After thinking that perhaps the kingdom fell into the Sea of Sorrows I thought this meant that we had to cross the Sea – yet I've researched a bit more. I think it means something different."

Confused, Riku glanced over the book. "What do you think?"

"Well…" She bit her lip. "The citizens of the kingdom often talked of terrible hallucinations, memories haunting them. And if they did live above the Sea, then my assumption could be correct. I think it means that to cross the sea, you have to face your worst memories."

Suddenly grave, Riku stood. "This could be bad."

Sighing, Aimé nodded. "I know. We have to warn the crew"

"AIIIEEE!"

Both friends stood, Riku grimacing. "That sounded like Hinata!" Racing out of the office, both very worried.

On deck, everyone was rushing to the side, concerned and confused. Integra was totally shocked, racing over, eyes wide.

"What's going on?" Riku raced into the crowd.

"It's Abel! I think he fell over!"

"Alucard!"

"Did he jump after him?"

"What happened?"

Racing over, Riku grasped tightly to the rail as he looked over. There were waves in the water, as if someone had fallen overboard. Angry and worried, the boy spun around. "What happened!?"

"Abel" Tifa muttered. "All of a sudden he was really scared. He… he was screaming. He was running towards the side and he fell, and he toppled overboard and I tried to reach him."

"People, get down there!"

"No!" Aime took firm hold of Riku, eyes wide in fear. "You can't! Once your in the Sea of Sorrows, you can't get out. If we go in, we're useless to help them."

Fearful, the girl turned to the ocean, pale faced. "They… they're on their own."

"You don't understand" Integra began. "Alucard can come back. He'll bring him back."

"How did Alucard fall over?" Riku asked.

"He jumped" Sora explained, eyes wide with worry. "He jumped after."

The crew of the Yume, worried and fearful, confused and useless, stared hopelessly down into the dark depths. Shaking as his knuckles turned white grasping the rail, Riku frowned. "Lower anchor" He whispered. Hinata watched him tremble.

"Lower anchor" She muttered. Slowly turning, Hinata looked a little braver. "Lower anchor! The Captain says lower anchor!"

Everyone began rushing about, returning to posts, preparing to make anchor. In the craziness and chaos, Hinata watched the others, trying to find some way to help. She saw blue eyes watching her. Integra, standing hopeless in the crowd, was watching her, feeling for the first time in a long time totally and completely without protection.

_  
So step just behind me _

_  
You're stretching out of hand _

_  
We walked just beside and _

_  
We're already dead _

_  
I'm dancing in the land and still I take over _

_  
Watch our fortune walk  
_

_  
You're always in my head _

_  
Always in my head _

_  
Always in my head_

0-0-0-0-0-0

_There's never been a time in my adult life that he hasn't been there… Alucard… how can you so easily shake my foundation, how have I come to depend on you?_

_Alucard!_

0-0-0-0-0-0

The water was thick and dark, sight was impossible, water was filling his lungs as he sunk lower. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breath… hands were reaching out to him, just out of reach…

And then, just one hand, a cold, clammy hand, grabbed his shoulder.

"Seriously!?" Amaya exclaimed.

"This is so cool!" Kiisa yelled.

"We're gonna learn magic!" the two girls sang as they boarded the gummi ship leaving the summit for Orsa Letum. Several people turned to look at them oddly and the two grinned wickedly in response. "We're gonna learn magic, we're gonna learn magic, we're gonna learn magic!" they chanted.

"Can you shut up!?" a black haired boy grimaced.

"Nope!" Amaya laughed.

"Nyah!" Kiisa taunted, sticking out her tounge. The boy's eyes glowed red and after a moment of shocked silence the two girls squealed and launched themselves at him.

"Wowiee! He's a bandersnatch! Are you frumious?" Kiisa giggled, poking him.

"Oooh, I never thought I'd see one!" Amaya grinned.

"Get off me!" he yelled. Shoving Kiisa away, she bumped into Amaya and the two were sent tumbling to the floor as the guy disappeared.

"Rude!" Amaya scowled. Halfway across the room a bald guy turned to look at her. His eyes were covered with sunglasses and he wore a very neat suit. "Uh, not you," Amaya assured the man hastily. He turned away and proceeded to ignore her.

"So, do you want some pocky?" Kiisa asked, she was attempting to stifle the giggles at her friend's odd encounter.

"Uh, sure..." Amaya agreed, still a little startled by the guy's reaction. Kiisa gave into her laughter and pulled out a few sticks of pocky to share with her best friend. Still watching the wierd guy out of the corner of her eye, Amaya began to nibble on the end of the chocolate pocky.

"Outta the way!" someone yelled and Amaya was shoved to the side as a figure ran by. The most she saw of him was his bright orange hair. As she attempted to regain her balance she stumbled into a thin red-headed man. Looking up, she recognized him immediately as Axel of Organization XIII from the news stories she had heard.

"Ack! I'm so sorry!" Amaya apologized. Axel stared at her for a moment before grinning widely.

"No problem. You're Lady Amaya from LaRousse, right?"

"Yes, but how do you know who I am? We've never met before, right?"

"I've seen you speaking at the summit."

"Oh... do you want pocky?"

"What's pocky?"

Amaya grinned and pulled a stick of pocky from her hand. "This is pocky! It's a wafer covered in chocolate. They're absolutely frabjous!"

"Oooh, ooh, Amaya! I found the bandersnatch again!" Kiisa called, appearing out of the small crowd of people still in the entryway of the ship.

"Okie!" Amaya grinned. "Seeya Mr. Axel! I hope you like the pocky!" Before running off she stuffed a stick of pocky in his hand, giggling like mad at the sight of Kiisa hopping around like a borogrove and waving her hand wildly to get Amaya to hurry up.

Axel looked at the pocky in his hand and sniffed it curiously as Lady Amaya ran off after her friend.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," Zexion commented as he passed by. "They gave one to Saix a few months ago and that's part of the reason why we were banned from the summit grounds."

"Sweet!" Axel laughed and stuffed the sugary snack into his mouth.

"A sugar high, what's that?" Kiisa asked. The boy she was talking to had just asked if she was sugar high. "I'm bubbly if that's what you mean."

"Bubbly? What do you mean by that?" the boy asked. He was blonde and had called himself Tidu, which Kiisa thought was a sensible kind of name.

"You know, bubbly," Kiisa said vaugley, waving her hands around a bit for emphasis. "Really happy and you want to move around and glomp people and go all nutty and stuffs."

"Yeah, that's sugar high,"Tidu confirmed.

"Bubbly," Kiisa grinned. "Do you want some pocky? It makes you bubbly."

"Sure," Tidu smiled. Kiisa's grin widened even more as she handed him a stick of her favorite treat.

"Frabjous, ne?" Kiisa asked. Tidu stuck it in his mouth and nodded.

"Frabjous."

This was going to be a beautiful frendship.

Amaya smiled wickedly as she moved her queen. "Checkmate."

"How troublesome," Shikamaru sighed as he looked at the chessboard.

"I told you I was taught by the white king," Amaya smirked.

"Shikamaru, you lost!?" Ino laughed. She was thin and blonde and her voice was shrill and mocking. Amaya didn't like her. Why a cool guy who could even give her a challenge playing chess put up with a girl like Ino was beyond her.

"Do you want to play again?" Amaya asked.

"Oooh! Sasuke!" Ino cried as she spotted the elusive ninja. She took off into the crowd and Amaya jumped up to see if she could also find the boy in the crowd.

"Where is he?" Amaya glanced around wildly, unable to spot the bandersnatch. She frowned slightly and then her eyes lit up as she spotted him. "See you later Shikamaru, the bandersnatch still hasn't told me if he's frumious or not yet!" Amaya called as she ran off.

Shikamaru stared at Amaya's retreating back and then sighed. "This is so troublesome. I finally find someone who can beat me in chess and she runs off the minute she sees Sasuke."

"Leave me alone you crazy lady!" Sasuke shouted as he ran away from the one of the annoying blondes from LaRousse yet again. They wouldn't stop bugging him and calling him a "bandersnatch," whatever that was.

"But I just wanna know if you're frumious or not!" Kiisa whined.

"Ugh, no!" Sasuke yelled in an attempt to get rid of her.

"Yay!" Kiisa beamed. "I don't have to shun you!"

"Oh no..." Sasuke groaned.

Somewhere, on another part of the ship, a pocky-high Axel terrorized poor Hanataro Yamada.

0-0-0-0-0-0

If you don't get some of this, then oh well. I loved it! If anyone else has something to write about the gummi ship trip, go ahead! I can't wait to read them!

Sweating over her quickly approaching project date,

SULHADAHNE


	11. Abel Again Part One

**SOORRRYY!!**

**I apologize for the slowness recently. I've been out sick all week, but I've decided to write before I leave for Atlanta in two days. I hope to keep up more in the future. (Thanksgiving might slow me down.)**

**I've had some hard times recently, but I'll be okay. Thanks to all my readers out there!! Just knowing you read makes it easier to go on!**

**Wishing she had a Coca Cola,**

**SULHADAHNE**

It was darker than his worst nightmares, and just as cold and isolated. Slowly an image came to him, wavering, and fading away, just out of reach. Stretching out his hands he reached, trying to find something to hold to, something to bring him out of the darkness…

A cold hand took hold of his as the water began to swirl and change. It was as if the mighty ocean was trying to pull them down into the darkness – quickly the water spun faster, and pulled them down into a whirlpool of color.

He could see his nightmares within. _Please don't take me there!_

The hand holding his held tighter, pulling his body up towards the stranger.

_Lost in the darkness_

_Hoping for a sign_

_Instead there's only silence_

_Can't you hear my screams?_

"Hold on! We're going in!"

Too late to fight back, both men were pulled into the portal, suddenly propelled from a world of darkness and water to the sky above a land covered in fire.

0-0-0-0

The ship was much too silent without the busy work of the day. All that anyone could do was sit around, sleep, or clean. Not many talked, and most tried to keep busy if they were unable to rest. Standing by the railing, Sir Integra glanced out over the sea.

Sighing, Ichigo wiped his brow of sweat and dumped the mop back into the bucket, his shoulders sore and achy. Eyes to the open sky above the boy sighed, unable to rest. The deck had been mopped twice. Finally he stowed the equipment, feeling as useless as he had before.

Hinata watched everyone mull and walk around with the ache of worry in their chest. She sighed and turned to the ocean once again. Frowning, she concentrated.

"_Byakugan!_"

Once again she scanned the ocean all around and still, nothing. It was as if they'd disappeared.

"Anything?" Integra muttered. Hinata shook her head.

"I hope Abel – san's okay" She whispered.

Down below Sora sat in his hammock, unable to concentrate. He was trying to reach out and find Alucard with his mind… he'd never done such a thing, but he knew Alucard had a powerful mind so the man aught to be able to sense his attempts… but it was no use. Sighing, the boy put an arm behind his head and looked at the picture in his hand.

"Riku…" He sighed, mulling over ideas.

Ever since he'd received the photo from Ichigo's friend Kisuke, he'd wondered many times over what it meant. Sora's mother had always told him that no one on the island had ever met Riku's father. If that was true, then where had Riku's mother met him? It had to be another world… but how?

Frowning, Sora turned to look out the port hole, his hand lying on his chest. Did that mean that perhaps Riku's father was alive? If that was Riku's father. Sure, the fact he was standing next to Riku's mom was a big clue, and the silver hair was too, but maybe Sora was going off the deep end…

Biting his lip, the boy set the photo aside in his spare pair of jeans. No one would touch his laundry… hopefully.

Eyes dark in thought, Sora let his mind wander for a moment. A small smile flickered onto his face. Swinging his legs over the hammock, the boy slipped his shoes on and raced up the stairs to the deck.

His appearance didn't stir anyone, as they sat about the ship, but the boy's smile didn't diminish. Glancing around, he looked for Riku. He was standing with Miroku at the front of the ship.

His smile becoming a grin, Sora raced up to his friend.

"Hey, Captain" Sora patted his shoulder. "I've got an idea."

0-0-0-0

"Okay, what the hell are we doing?" Ed muttered as he moodily sat down on a barrel.

"Don't ask me." Ichigo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against the railing.

Ed frowned. "I didn't ask you."

"Good, because I wouldn't have answered."

"You just did."

"No I didn't!"

"Will you shut up for a moment, _please_?" Vincent muttered, his eyes twitching. Both teens blanched, nodding frantically.

"We're going to cheer up!" Sora piped up happily. Integra shook her head, yet joined the group otherwise. Everyone was on the deck either standing or sitting in a circle, with Sora at the head.

"Well, go on Sora" Riku smiled. "Tell them your idea."

Nodding happily, Sora turned to the group. "Okay – so Alucard and Abel are trapped in some dark blob of – magical … weirdness. Right?"

"He's eloquent." Gaara commented. Kurama smirked.

Sora ignored them. "Anyway, so because of that we're all depressed."

"Really?" Tifa joked half heartedly.

Sora continued to ignore them. "Well…" He sobered a little. "A while ago I fell into darkness. I forgot who I was, where I was from … everything. I probably would've been totally engulfed in the darkness… but I was saved."

"My friend saved me. She reached out to me and I saw light. The light brought me out of the darkness. So, I was thinking, we can't go down and save Abel and Alucard… but we can give them a light to return to, right?" Sora glanced around to appraise everyone's faces. They all seemed to be giving it some thought.

"If we all get happy and stuff, our hearts will emit light. If we're really happy, there's no way they'll miss it, right?"

Everyone seemed to slowly absorb the information.

"It makes sense…" Miroku murmured, stroking his chin.

"You're smart for once, Sora!" Aimé joked with a wink. The boy bowed a little, pleased with himself.

"So we've gotta be happy, huh?" Ichigo sighed. "All right. I'm in."

"Sure" Ed shrugged. Most everyone agreed, having nothing to do, and eager to help.

"All right, let's play a game!" Sora cheered.

"And this somehow will make us happy?" Gaara quirked a… "eyebrow".

(Yes, Naruto fans, I know; he has no eyebrows.)

"Yeah!" Sora grinned. "Everyone sit down! In a smaller circle!"

The boy plopped down and sat Indian style. Hinata shyly stepped up and sat down next to Sora, clutching her knees. The boy gave her an encouraging smile. Eventually everyone joined them and came close together.

"So anyone know a game?" Sora asked. Everyone sweat dropped.

"You didn't think of one?" They all asked.

Laughing nervously, Sora shrugged. "Well, uh…?"

"All right fine" Riku shook his head. Then he smiled. "Hey, why don't we play one of the games we use to play on the island?"

Sora blinked and looked up. "Huh? You mean all those explorer games?"

Riku shook his head. "No, I mean – remember that day Selphie was sick, so Kairi made us all play a game at her house?"

Recognition came to Sora's eyes. "Oh yeah! That was fun!"

0-0-0-0

As soon as he blinked his eyes open Abel felt pain and grogginess come to him. Moaning as he tried to stand, the priest wondered how he'd survived the fall from the sky – only to realize that he'd fallen on the vampire, who'd suffered horrible injuries. Gasping, the priest moved off the man and looked him over, horrible worried.

He needn't be. Alucard's eyes flickered, and as he awoke, his wounds healed. Greatly surprised, Abel watched in awe as the man sat up, his entire body returning to normal. "You are no ordinary vampire." Abel gasped. "You …"

"I'm what?" Alucard muttered tiredly, thoroughly annoyed.

"You're amazing!"

Surprised by the priest's reaction the man turned to look at him, confused. Abel was bursting with compliments.

"You jumped from the ship to after me and then you found me in the water, and when we fell you saved my life! I know you were heart felt when you said you obeyed your master, but I think you really are a much kinder person than you let on! I owe my life to you, sir!" The priest would've gone on but Alucard stood, which caused him to remember where they were.

"We fell… now where are we?" Abel mumbled.

"You should know. These are your memories. I can feel it." Alucard muttered, cracking his neck.

"Perhaps you're right…" Abel stood and brushed himself off. "Oh, I could do for some tea right now…"

"I could go for a snack as well." Alucard grinned. Abel blanched and laughed nervously.

"Well, anyway, we should try to figure out how to get back to the ship." Abel offered.

"Quite. Lead the way, priest."

With that the odd duo set out to find a way home, through the streets of Albion.

0-0-0-0

"So, any clues as to where we are priest?"

Biting his lip, Abel sighed. "Well, this is surely Albion… but I could've sworn when we came here… didn't it look like it was ablaze?"

Alucard agreed. "It looked like a war zone… but now it seems like a ghost city."

Nodding Abel glanced around. "If these are my memories… well, perhaps this is just the city as I knew it. I'm not sure."

They continued on.

0-0-0-0

"Okay, here's how to play: Everyone get in a circle." Sora proclaimed.

Integra rolled her eyes. "We are in a circle."

"Okay! Step two!" Moving on, Sora ignored the fact that most everyone on the ship was reveling in his stupidity.

"Maybe I should explain." Riku told the boy. Sora glanced over at him, sighed childishly, but agreed. Riku began again.

"So someone begins and asks, truth, or dare –"

"Wait a minute." Ichigo interrupted. "We're playing truth or dare?" Frowning, the boy looked at Sora and Riku with a unbelieving look.

"Oh." Sora and Riku spoke together. "_That's _what it's called!"

Anyone who knew what the game was called looked dumbfounded.

"This is the most clichéd attempt at comedy the authoress has attempted yet." Integra muttered.

"Well, perhaps by using this clichéd move the authoress is attempting to aid to the irony" Miroku offered.

"I think this is stupid." Ed muttered.

"Okay, so everyone knows how to play truth or dare?" Sora asked.

"H – Hai!" Hinata answered. Confused the boy looked at her. "It means yes." She responded meekly.

"Oh!" Sora nodded. "Okay, so let's play! _Hai_?"

The crew members all shared looks, coming to an agreement.

"Hai!"

0-0-0-0

"So… what do we do?"

Sitting in a dark alcove above the city, within an abandoned church, Abel hung his head and rubbed his temples. Alucard, leaning against the arch of the doorway, shrugged.

"This is your situation. Not mine"

Nodding, Abel then paused. Slowly, he looked up to the vampire. "Then… how are you here? Shouldn't I be on my own?"

Turning away from the view of the city Alucard glanced down at the man. "I forced my way through. Sir Integra wants to finish this journey quickly, and it will be hard to continue on with one of our men floundering about in the ocean."

Abel blinked in surprise. "But … I thought…"

"She would leave you behind?" Chuckling, Alucard began walking back towards the stairs. "Catholic or not, you are …'on our side'. She would not leave a man behind."

Relief and a smidgeon of glee rushing through his heart, Abel continued to question. "And … you?" He wondered. "Would you… 'Leave someone behind'?"

Glancing over his shoulder Alucard chuckled darkly.

"I've done it before. Centuries ago."

Abel paled.

"… But not today."

Leaving the priest with those strange words, Alucard quickly descended to the lower level, moving so quickly he was hardly seen. Abel stood, reaching after him, taken off guard by his quick movement. "Hey – wait!" He began to race after, before biting his lip and turning around. Glancing back at the city outside the window, Abel frowned.

With a quite glance around, Abel knelt and picked up his bag, and after looking out the window one last time, he raced after Alucard.

"Wait!"

Hurrying towards his partner, Abel wondered silently why most all of his partners were usually annoyed by his presence. He came down to Alucard's level and bent down, breathing hard.

"There seems to be some activity towards the river, as you saw in the window above." Alucard began. "Shall we move on?"

Looking up, Abel nodded, slowly standing tall again to wipe sweat off his brow. The odd pair raced off through the church doors, hurrying into the streets of Albion.

Coming around to the river, the two hurried, having heard gun shots down wind. Screams came from the same direction, and grimacing, Abel wondered if he was perhaps rushing to an enemy rather than a friend. He prayed it was who he was looking for…

More gunshots around the corner as Abel and Alucard slid to a halt – and to Abel's delight, it was exactly who he'd hoped. Things were beginning to look up…

A young, vampiric punk raced away from the source of the bullets only to come face to face with the duo. Grimacing, the red eyed boy raised a gun eye level. Flinching, Abel gasped, but before a word could be said, more gunshots echoed in the area and the boy fell to his knees. The figure who'd shot him was walking toward them, shrouding in dust.

"Targets silenced." A monotone voice declared. Gasping in delight, Abel almost cheered and leapt into the air.

"Tres!"

A brown haired man came out of the dust, wearing the same black and silver priest uniform Abel had worn when he'd first joined the crew. Truly, Abel looked strange dressed as a pirate instead of a priest – but if Tres thought so he didn't mention it. Though, as he walked up, his eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped slightly.

"Agent…" The man paused. "… Abel?"

Surprised, the silver haired man nodded. He wasn't use to seeing the mechanical Tres Iqus act so… surprised. It was a human trait he didn't show. Abel had seen Tres show mercy and even disobey orders to save lives, but he'd never seen Tres "surprised".

"Tres? What is it?" Grinning, Abel ran up to him. "It's been a while, what are you doing here? Another mission?"

_Abel_ Alucard spoke within Abel's mind._ Remember this is some sort of illusion. He's acting as if he hadn't expected to see you… and not just here. At all._

Abel realized this, and felt his throat grow dry. "… Tres?"

The machine man looked down, blinking as if to clear his head. Then he looked up again.

"You are _not_ Agent Crusnik."

0-0-0-0

**I wanted to put more to this, and I will; but being sick, and on the way to Atlanta, I don't have any time. But, I'm going to post this first half so that it will be possible to write the rest in Atlanta. So, for now, this is what I've got.**

**I hope to write more in the future… forgive me!!!**

**Also, I've posted a lot of videos on youtube to make room on my compy… not all of them are good, but I enjoyed making "Somewhere", and "Kairi's Video; You're not Here". Take a look around I'd love having some opinions.**

**In a few days, maybe by Wednesday, I'll have more. FORGIVE ME FOR MAKING YOU WAIT!!**

**Anticipating Thanksgiving in Atlanta,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	12. Abel Again Part Two

"Okay!"

Grinning and rubbing his hands together, Sora looked around at everyone. Many of the people in the circle looked as if they were bracing themselves for something horrible. "You guys reading?"

"Yeah…"

"Mmm…"

"Whatever…"

Frowning, Sora roared. "I said, ARE YOU READY?"

"Yeah!"

"Sure!"

"Yeah!" Suddenly roused from his nap Miroku sleepily waved his hand in the air and leaned back against the barrel.

"All right then" Sora began. "Let's play! Riku, you first!"

The boy looked up. "What?"

"Ask somebody!"

Sheepishly, Riku glanced around. "Uh… Okay. Kurama." The red head smiled and glanced up. Riku figured if he was going to be asking anyone questions and try not to get his head cut off, the safest person would be the smiling red head.

"Okay… truth or dare?"

"Well, this game's just started." Kurama commented with a thoughtful look. "Truth."

"Okay." Thinking for a moment, Riku tried to think of a good question. Sora quickly crawled over to him. The two quietly plotted behind everyone's backs.

"This is so stupid." Ichigo muttered.

"All right, Kurama, is it true that you go out with your dark haired friend Hiei?"

If Kurama's face turned any redder it would be the same color as his hair.

"What?" Edward laughed. "That short black haired guy?"

"The demon from the summit?" Even Sir Integra was on the verge of snickering. "Really?"

"I've heard rumors but nothing solid." Miroku added to the conversation. "What's your answer, Kurama?"

Glancing around like a mouse being hunted by a cat, the wide eyed man shook his head frantically. "N – No! It's nothing like that! Hiei and I are just friends!"

Sora and Riku shared a knowing glance and burst into laughter. Rolling along the deck the two held their stomachs as many others followed suit. Dumbfounded, Kurama tried protesting again and again, but the laughter just increased. Even Gaara had a smirk on his face.

Lupin leaned over to the confused man. "Leave them be. They'll take it any way they want; I know. My friend Snuffles and I have been accused many a time of being lovers." The man laughed sheepishly.

As his laughter died down, Sora addressed Lupin. "S – Snuffles? Pfft!"

"Okay, settle down, it's my turn." Kurama smiled. He was getting the hang of this game; the worse the question, the more the laughs. He could do that.

"All right…" Scanning the group, he set his sights a little higher than Sora. "Vincent."

The dark man stirred in his corner away from the group. "Truth or dare?"

Ignoring Sora and Tifa's chants of "dare, dare, dare, dare", the man asked for truth. Kurama stroked his chin. "What is the extent of your relationship with Tifa?"

The girl immediately was silenced and quickly spun around to look at Kurama. Vincent was as red as his cape. "What… do you mean?"

The snickers were starting up again. "I mean, what have you and Tifa _done_?"

The laughing started up fully as Vincent struggled for words. He was glancing from Kurama's waiting look and Tifa's angry grimace.

"This is just going to be a game about sex, isn't it?" Gaara muttered.

"Yeah!" Miroku cheered. Everyone suddenly looked at him. "What?" He questioned. "Can't the monk join in?"

"Well?" Kurama repeated. Everyone looked back to Vincent. Tifa huffed and crossed her arms.

"I won't say." Vincent insisted, staring Kurama down with his dark, crimson gaze. Tifa looked at the man like he was her hero. Very use to that sort of look from Hiei, the red head didn't back down.

"Well, gang?" He addressed the group. "What happens when someone refuses to answer?"

"Well, back on the island…" Riku began.

"Didn't they have to kiss a palm tree or something?" Sora asked.

A few chuckles broke the silence. "Something like that." Riku smiled. "Okay! Vincent, since you won't answer, you have to…"

"Remove an article of clothing!" Tifa cheered. Startled, Riku glanced over at her. She seemed very happy at the idea. Vincent, red faced again, slowly nodded his consent. Shocked, Riku and Sora gawked, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

As Vincent's hands went up to the cowl, Sora whistled playfully. Frowning at him, Vincent threw the cap over the boy's head, which was swallowed by the enormous cloth. The circle all cheered as Vincent sat without the cape, his face revealed to all. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

"Ah, I'm free!" Sora cheered, finally unwrapped from the cloth. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Tifa." Vincent stated. "Truth or dare?"

The woman grinned. "Dare!"

Miroku whistled, but was silenced by a glare from Vincent. Looking back at his girlfriend, Vincent smirked. "Kiss me" Before he even finished speaking, Tifa wrapped her arms around him, her lips on his. Whistles, hoots, and cheers (not to mention the saddened sigh of a certain monk) erupted from the group.

"So this is an insane conglomerate of truth or dare, spin the bottle, and strip poker?" Gaara complained.

"It's fun!" Hinata murmured, smiling a little. A look came to her eyes, and she smiled wider. "I'll be right back!" Standing, she raced down the stairway and disappeared below.

"Okay, okay!" Sora tried stepping between Vincent and Tifa. "Time's up!" The two split and sat down, both very smug and happy.

"There is certainly some light growing here." Lupin smirked. "It's working!"

"It's creepy!" Ichigo muttered, twitching.

"Yeah! My turn!" Tifa cheered and glanced around. "Hey, Ichigo!"

The boy looked up, surprised to hear his name called. "Huh?"

"Truth or dare?"

0-0-0-0

In an attempt to break the very stiff silence now surrounding them, Abel laughed a little. "Tres… what do you mean? Of course I'm Agent Crusnik! It's… it's me!"

The robotic man didn't say anything. Looking down, he simply turned around and began walking away. Surprised, Abel called after.

"Tres! Tres!"

"Follow him" Alucard muttered. The two raced after the doll hurriedly, unsure of how to get out of the mess they were in.

Down side streets and under arches, they traveled, Alucard and Abel soon walking behind Tres as he led them on. They were headed away from the town, out towards the grassy pastures on the outer edge of the city. Abel was there very often, for the churches were mostly in this area, overlooking the rest of the area. It was a place of solitude, of woods and graves, and it was peaceful. Today though, Abel was not looking for peace, but a way out.

Tres brought them to a graveyard, one Abel had been to once before for a funeral, and it was not very big. As they walked through the head stones, Tres came to a halt before a large, elaborate stone of an angel ascending to heaven.

"You are not Agent Crusnik." Tres began. "Agent Crusnik was killed during the war against the Rosen Kreuz. The Contra Mundi, though defeated, killed him as well. You…" Tres turned to Abel. "Are not _him_".

Abel couldn't believe what he was hearing. In the corner of his eye he saw Tres point at the grave in front of them. Slowly, Abel walked towards it, staring in disbelief.

"That's… that's my name."

"That's his grave." Tres insisted. "Abel Nightroad died years ago."

Shocked, the priest fell to his knees. "I – I don't believe it."

_Priest this is an illusion. Remember that._

Like a shockwave through his mind, Abel remembered; he was a member of the crew of the _Yume_. He wasn't really in Albion. Why this was such a shock he didn't know, but whatever was going on, this wasn't real, and the Tres next to him wasn't either.

Frowning, Alucard watched Abel compose himself. Somehow, this realm they were in was drawing the priest him, even making him slowly forget – so slowly he didn't notice. The vampire would have to keep an eye on him.

Slowly the priest stood again, turning with a smile to the doll man. "I apologize" He bowed and slowly stood tall again, brushing hair out from behind his glasses. "I seem to have made a mistake. I'll leave now."

Though he had told himself it was all fake, Abel couldn't help giving Tres once last glance; he looked so much like his old partner who he hadn't seen in so long. With a longing sigh, the man turned to walk away. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder.

"Over here, quickly." Tres insisted, pulling Abel back. "She's coming."

Confused, Abel followed. "Who?"

Tres shoved Abel down a path, and turned to walk back. "Stay hidden. Go into the trees." Still utterly confused, Abel watched Tres turn back down the path, as Alucard walked past him and headed after the priest. "Come" Alucard told him to follow. They both headed out of the graveyard and into the forest, attempting to hide from whoever was coming.

"I'm not sure I – understand –" Abel muttered, dodging tree branches and roots. He didn't fall on his face, though he came close to tripping a few times. "What's – going on".

"I don't know her. But you do."

Abel's head shot up, curious, and Alucard nodded his head in the direction they'd come from. The Priest turned back to look.

Coming up the road of the graves were a few people; and he certainly knew them. Cardinal Caterina Sforza, Duchess of Milan, his boss, and long time friend. Along with her were a few of his comrades in arms, and most notably… Esther Blanchet, a nun, and a friend. Now Abel knew why Tres told him to hide.

"I would definitely be a surprise visitor. And not a welcome one." Abel looked up to Alucard. "What are they doing?"

Smirking, Alucard looked down at Abel from over his yellow rimmed glasses. "What is done in a graveyard? They are mourning."

Realization dawned on Abel's face. "Ah. Of course."

When the small group came up to "Abel's" grave, the silver haired man cringed. He looked up at Alucard again and then back to his friends. Slowly, he snuck through the undergrowth, moving closer to the mourners. He could hear tidbits of conversation.

Esther was on her knees, placing flowers on the grave. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, and Abel's heart ached to see her so.

_It's not real_

Alucard's voice of reason resonated in his mind, and Abel shook away his emotions. He had to find out what he was here to do. And if it didn't have to do with his friends, he didn't know what it was. So, reluctantly, Abel inched closer.

"If – if only I'd been braver." Esther whispered.

"Hell, only Abel could fight Cain and win, Esther." Leon muttered his dark humor toned down. He too was in mourning. Leon was a tall member of the group, rugged, with stubble along his chin and wavy, dark hair falling over his shoulders. His dark eyes were darker that day with pain.

"No –" Esther laughed a little, but it was a pained laugh. "I don't mean – being brave like… that."

"Esther" Caterina whispered. She was a stern blonde woman with glasses on the end of her nose, and fierce blue eyes that, for the first time since Abel had met her, were dim and seemingly lost. "I'm sure – he knew."

Confused, Abel inched closer. Who knew? Knew what?

"If he knew – why didn't he say anything?" Esther's voice came out as a whisper.

"You knew Abel" The Professor, a man with wise eyes and brown hair, smiled slightly. "A wise man, yet very… well, dense, I suppose. But he loved you. You know that."

Esther laughed again to hear talk of Abel. "Yes… I just wish I could've told him how much I loved him."

To say Abel was bug eyed was an understatement.

"I – I never got to say – I was never brave enough – to tell him."

Abel clutched his quickly beating heart.

"I'm still in love with him." She sobbed. "I love you, Abel Nightroad!"

In a rush, Abel spun around away from them, his hand over his mouth, eyes wide, heart pounding. How had he been so blind? Such a fool! Shaking his head, Abel gasped for breath. Esther… was in LOVE with him!

"I have to do something. To make up for this!"

Alucard morphed out of the air beside him.

"This is an illusion." He insisted again. Abel leapt to his feet.

"You have to help me." The priest begged.

"Abel, this isn't real!"

"Please!"

With pleads and desperate eyes, Abel begged Alucard hopelessly. The vampire looked skeptical, and Abel knew he thought that he was acting like a fool. Abel stepped forward. "Please, Alucard. I can't do this without you."

Frowning, Alucard closed his eyes, and sighed. The man knew Abel's heart was set on this. Turning away, he nodded.

"Damn you, I'll help. Why the bloody hell did I leap in after you anyway?"

0-0-0-0

Racing up the stairs towards the deck, Hinata smiled, happy with herself. Attempting to balance her load and still run hurriedly, the girl paused to adjust her arms. In her arms she carried pillows, blankets, food, drink, and her stuffed animal buddy, but no one had to know about him. He was a keepsake. Hurrying with the items, the girl came up the stairs and to the deck.

"Um, hi, I –" Hinata slowed when she came up, balancing her stuff.

"Wow!" Edward and Tifa leapt up to help the poor girl.

"What is all that?" Ichigo asked, sitting up again.

Suddenly becoming shy and feeling a bit foolish, Hinata tried setting everything down. "Well, I – um…"

Brushing the hair out of her eyes, the girl let all of the things rest at her feet. A soda can began rolling away, and she jumped to catch it, but Ed beat her to it. She looked up to see him smiling at her. The girl nervously addressed the group.

"Well, I – I've never – done this kind of p – party, but I've heard that you – you have drinks, and – and food, and –"

"That's thoughtful of you." Tifa smiled, collecting the things. She turned to the group. "Don't you think guys? Let's set this up."

Sora smiled. "Hey!" He leapt up and grabbed a soda off the floor. "I'm parched!" He grinned at the young ninja. "Thanks, Hinata."

Blushing, and happy, Hinata smiled. "You – you're welcome."

Ichigo smiled. "Man, my ass hurts. Throw me a blanket?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Here, ass." He threw the blanket over the teen's head.

Everyone began to assemble their little areas, grabbing chips and drinks, wrapping up in blankets and sitting on pillows. Tifa and Hinata raced down to get changed into pajamas. Hinata could've sworn, when she ran down that, out of the edge of her vision, she saw Sir Integra smiling at her.

Miroku looked at the blonde. "Are you not changing?"

Integra frowned deeply. "No, pedophile."

The monk laughed nervously.

Sora removed his jacket and sat happily with his coke. Night was descending, but the group simply lit lanterns and continued their game.

"Okay, it was my turn right? Who was asking me?" Ichigo asked when he sat back down.

"I was. Truth or dare?" Tifa smiled in her Chocobo pajamas.

"Dare." Ichigo smirked. He was feeling better than he had in a while.

Laughing joyously Tifa downed some soda. "Finally! A sucker!"

Ichigo blanched, twitching. _Since when am I a sucker?_

Rubbing her hands together the woman thought of a horrible punishment for the strawberry haired boy. "Okay… I KNOW!"

Many people flinched at the loud declaration and Ichigo wondered what he was in for with Tifa's enthusiasm.

"I dare you to … dress in this!"

Tifa removed from her blanket a bundle of clothes she must've grabbed when she ran downstairs. Giggling insanely, the girl looked up at Vincent. "Cloud inspired me to do this; he did the same during a mission once, and it was just so funny…" She broke off into giggles.

Ichigo stared at the bundle, slowly lifting it up. He twitched. "THIS IS A DRESS!"

Many sputters and giggles erupted around the group as Ichigo stared horrified at the clothes in front of him.

"Do it or take your shirt off!" Tifa insisted. Hinata blushed.

So, a few seconds later, Ichigo removed his top and was naked waist up, which caused a few cat calls and even a few blushing faces. He was lean and yet muscular, and needless to say good looking.

Rolling his eyes, the boy glanced around and looked for someone to ask. "Hey, Gaara?" He addressed the red head in the back corner. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth…" He muttered, not really caring, yet deciding to go on with it since he'd been amused so far.

Grinning Ichigo already knew what to say. "Hehe, okay. Why do you wear all that makeup?"

Hinata's blush turned to a sickly pale. A few people around the group also blanched. Confused Gaara gave Ichigo a funny look. "…'make up?'"

"Yeah" Ichigo laughed. "What's with all the eye liner?"

To say the red head suddenly realized the implications and became rather… enraged… was an understatement. The ship was howling louder than ever, except well… one rather _dense _orange haired teenager.


	13. My Only Mistake

**GONE SO LONG**

**I have not written in SO LONG. My mom's been in the hospital, I've had DOZENS of projects, simply swamped. I've thought about the story a lot though, and other stories I hope to start that will have to do with this series. THANK YOU MY BELOVED, LOYAL READERS I love you guys!**

**Let's get this started!**

Snow falling from the cold, dark sky, the world became a sea of white. The tombstones were the only specks of black in the world, and in the middle of this black and white mixture were the mourners, standing by Abel's grave.

Still kneeling before the imposing stone, Esther dried her tears, snowflakes tickling her cheeks.

"Esther…" Lady Katarina set a hand on the girl's shoulder. She nodded and stood, and they all turned to leave.

Giving the stone one last look, Leon sighed and pulled his jacket around him tighter. "Lucky bastard. You thick, lucky bastard."

They all turned to leave and walk down the path, Esther and the Cardinal in front. Tres, not even looking at the stone, began walking away. Then he slowed. Glancing around, the android looked deep into the forest.

"Incoming!"

Suddenly, from the depths of the forest leapt a mighty beast, a huge, snarling dog with eight red eyes and a gaping mouth. Esther screamed, Tres drew his gun and fired, throwing the beast off track. Hugh and Leon raced to protect the Lady, preparing to fight; the creature, shaking its head, snarled and leapt over them, attacking the lady.

"No!" Leon attacked quickly, but missed; luckily for him Tres was on the job. Leaping to Catarina, he dragged her down and out of the dogs reach.

"Esther!" Hugh demanded. "Go! Hide in the forest!"

The young girl, recently crowned royalty and not quite a strong fighter, nodded and raced off, leaping around tomb stones and down the pathways. Down the way, Leon tried heading after Esther, to protect her, but the dog cut him off.

"Dammit!"

Esther raced into the wood, stopping near its edge so she could turn and check on her friends. The exhausted girl heard nothing as a tall man approached her from behind. A hand quickly went over her mouth and Esther was spun around.

A hand also went over her eyes and the hand over her mouth moved to her waist. But before she could scream, warm lips covered her own.

Absolutely shocked, the girl froze, unable to see or move, very afraid; and yet, as the moment continued, the man tried nothing. His kiss was warm, and loving, his arms strong, and safe. The girl wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew this man…

The stranger leaned away, still with a hand over her eyes. "Forgive me" he whispered. "I – I'm so sorry. When we meet again, when I go home, I promise, I will be brave. I – I'll tell you the truth. I promise."

"The truth?" Esther whispered, shivering.

Abel removed his hand and smiled down sadly at the fake who looked so much like his dear Esther. Drawing the timid girl into his arms, he sighed.

"I love you." Abel murmured. "And when I go home, I'm going to tell you."

And with those words, everything disappeared.

Standing alone now, in a void of darkness, Abel smiled. He let his arms drop back down to his sides, a small tear trickling down his face.

"Thank you" Abel muttered.

Alucard sauntered out of the darkness, arms crossed. He stopped near the priest. "You know this doesn't make us friends."

Laughing slightly, Abel nodded. "I understand. But thank you."

Rubbing his eyes, the priest looked up. "It looks like we're in the ocean… but it's not water. It's …"

"Darkness. I know." Alucard tapped his foot. "Look down."

Abel glanced down to the floor they stood on. "Wow" He gasped. "That's – absolutely amazing!" Beneath their feet was a giant stained glass resting on top of an enormous pedestal. There were many of theses all along the ocean floor. Each glass window looked the same – A beautiful Celtic cross, a grave site, covered in snow at the center of the picture; and around it were four pictures of four different people from Abel's life – Lady Catarina, Ester, Astaroshe, and Ion. And around the edge were streams of blood.

Abel glanced down at the Esther on the window. "Esther…"

"Where?" Alucard muttered. "Don't tell me you're still dreaming?"

"Huh?" Confused, the priest looked to his friend. "What do you mean? She's right there! Unless… what do you see? On the glass, I mean."

Alucard walked over to stand beside him, and looked down on the window. "I see a rosary stained with blood, held by the hands of a sinner there, in the center. And in the larger circle… on one side, my master, holding a chain, on the other, my fledgling, Seras, holding … my head. It's … a rather queer joke."

"I suppose each person sees something different." Abel decided. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

Alucard glanced around, and nodded to the left. "Think that might help?"

Turning around, the priest glanced out into the darkness, searching for whatever Alucard had pointed out. Then it caught his eye; a sort of star light floating out in the dark, far away. It was the only clue they had.

"Should we… follow it?" Abel wondered.

"Where else might we go?" Alucard offered, already walking towards the end of the platform. Out of the darkness formed a staircase made of stained glass, leading to the next platform. The two began their descent.

For a few moments there was silence, but unable to keep quiet with so much on his mind, Abel asked a question.

"Um, Alucard?" He murmured. The vampire gave an "hn" which Abel supposed meant he was listening. "Do you think this is the "deep dive" Sora was talking about? The "dive into the heart"?"

"I suppose. It could be. We were certainly in a world of your emotions."

Abel flushed. The duo came to the next platform and kept walking towards the light, and another staircase appeared in the dark. "Well, then…" Abel muttered. "Don't you think that… well, maybe the entire ocean is … well…"

"Yes?"

Abel cleared his throat. "I'm… not sure what I'm trying to say. If this ocean has all of these… deep dive things in them, all these emotions… that would have to do with the heart. So maybe the heart of the universe is nearby? Kingdom Hearts might be here."

"Yes, we know that already. The Fallen Kingdom, as it's been dubbed, was the original home of the Kingdom Hearts."

"Really?"

"Yes; and what with its disappearance, there are many hoping the Fallen Kingdom is where it's gone. I think that's the real reason this mission has been approved. Otherwise, some strange spirit simply telling us to go wouldn't have been enough to make us go. Hope that Kingdom Hearts will be found is the reason we are on this voyage."

As the vampire spoke, Abel felt himself getting warm. "A – Alucard?"

"I feel it. It's…"

Warm light slowly engulfed them, as they floated up and out of the dark ocean.

0-0-0-0-0

When the two unlikely friends came out of the Dark Sea of Sorrows, they simply appeared out of thin air onto the deck of the ship. Soaking wet, and mentally exhausted, both of them toppled to the floor, about to fall unconscious. Abel did immediately, falling onto the Monk Miroku's lap. Alucard was still awake, and yet he too fell, into the lap of his Master.

Sir Integra, stunned, caught the man, who was looking up at her as he slowly fell into sleep. He chuckled. "Well… you've been busy, master…"

The woman flushed solid red. So did everyone else at the sound of Alucard's laughter.

Sora was wearing only pants, Riku wearing his boxers; Hinata had all her clothes but her headband, and Gaara had removed the giant gourd on his back. Many of the people in the circle were topless, or somehow lacking in clothing.

Sir Integra just happened to be too dignified to kiss anyone in the circle, and would rather remove her shirt. So she did. And Alucard just happen to fall upon her bosom.

Once he was unconscious, the group sat horribly still and silent.

"Who's up for telling him it was a dream and getting all this cleaned now?" Riku offered.

The crew of the _Yume _had never moved faster.

0-0-0-0-0

"Hey, he's waking up!"

"All right! Took him long enough!"

"Move back! Give him some air!"

Slowly, Abel found himself waking up, very slowly. With a moan and a groan, he rubbed his head and sat up in bed.

"Hey, you okay?" Tifa leaned down towards him, her loose shirt not quite covering her well. Flushed red, Abel nodded and cleared his throat.

"I'm – fine! Really." He rubbed his head. "Just a little… sore."

"You had us worried!" Aisu smiled, running over to sit by him. Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, Aisu planted a kiss on his cheek. "Glad to have you back." With that she hopped up and ran happily out of the room.

Sora watched her go. "What was that?" Abel looked about as dumbfounded. Snickering, Tifa shook her head.

"Look's like someone's got a crush" She grinned. Abel's looked became that of a deer in headlights.

"No way!" Sora gasped. "She's – oh come on, the one girl I can hook him up with! – " Sora raced out of the room.

Abel watched him disappear, about as confused as ever. Giving a little laugh, Tifa picked up the wet wash cloth that was still on Abel's forehead. "Come on" She smiled, nodding towards the staircase. "I think there are some people waiting for you."

With Tifa's encouragement, the priest pulled himself up out of bed and he headed towards the mess hall. Every step hurt a little, but he pushed onward. From down the hall, as he watched Tifa turn into the lunch room, he heard laughter and merriment.

Glancing around the corner, the priest looked in.

Everyone was sitting at dinner together – not at different tables, not in little groups – all at one table eating together. Sora was next to Gaara and Riku, telling Alucard about what happened while he was gone – Integra was next to him, and strangely enough, had a hand clasping his tightly. This was not a loving hold, but still had love in it none the less, Abel knew – he smiled.

Kurama brought a large bowl of bread to the table into which everyone dived, and unable to help himself Abel laughed. Only one man heard it, and with a smirk, Alucard looked up to him.

_You know this doesn't mean I like you._

The vampire nodded to him. Abel nodded back, a shy smile on his pale lips.

_That's okay. I know._

_0-0-0-0-0_

**I am so sorry this is short!**

**Christmas is coming and I'm really busy. But tonight I will work on the next part and hopefully post tomorrow. Not to mention, in my free time I've been working on a trailer for the story; just cause its infested my brain.**

**I hope once this trio of stories is over to start another about Sora and the gang as adults; only if the readers want one of course. If you guys get tired of this, please tell me, help me please you! What should I do?**

**Nothing much happened, but a lot changed. The crew is hooking up in friendship! And Alucard denies his humanity, in a way. Soon it will be time to switch over to Hogwarts; I hope you all have a good Holiday Season and a happy New Year!**

**Eager for her fifteenth birthday,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	14. A Violent Landing

"Do you see them?"

"Uh… no. I can't see anything."

"How about now?"

"The ocean is moving; I can't see anything down there!"

"Oh, you are so dense!"

Frowning in frustration, Tifa crossed her arms and huffed, unable to wrap her mind around how thick Sora could be. The boy scratched his head, still unable to understand why women were so angry all the time. Pushing on the railing again, he leaned over and looked into the water.

Squinting, he shook his head. "I still don't see anything!"

Aimé ran up beside him, and pointed down into the water. "See the pinpoints of light? Those are the deep dive pillars. Now do you see?"

Turning his head, Sora squinted harder. "A little… why are they so small?"

"The ocean's that deep." Vincent commented, heaving a large rope behind the group towards the mast. "Don't fall in."

Sora laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Of course not! I'm not gonna fall, promise!" Aimé rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. Tripping, the boy gave a yelp and hit the deck.

"Get back to work!" She laughed, giving a small smile. Then, upon hearing her name called, Aimé waved and raced off.

"Man…" Sora rubbed his cheek and stood. Tifa patted his shoulder and shrugged walking back to her station. With a sigh the boy put his arms on the railing and looked out over the ocean.

"It's getting so boring around here…" Sora sighed and slumped onto the rail.

Yawning, he brushed the hair out of his eyes; it blew back into his face but he ignored it.

"Where are all the battles? The adventure?" Sora moaned. "Sailing with Jack was so much fun…"

"Is all you ever do complain?" Kurama shook his head, walking up to Sora with a bucket and a mop. "Here – we need someone to clean the deck." Handing the items to Sora, Kurama chuckled and walked back downstairs to prepare the next meal.

Glancing from the moldy mop to the bucket of water, Sora groaned and hung his head. "Man, this bite…" With slumped shoulders Sora set to work, his face set into a permanent pout.

With one last depressed sigh the boy shoved the mop into the bucket, got it soaked, and pulled it out quick, getting the deck nice and wet. Cleaning was easy after all his exercise fighting with the heartless – Sora just had to be careful to get in all the cracks and crannies; it was boring work. Very easily Sora's mind drifted off to random thoughts, trying to make time pass faster.

To pass time, he began to hum. And even though he couldn't do it well, Sora began singing low as he moved about the deck, seemingly alone as he worked.

"_Every little light… in the sky…" _With a splash the mop went into the bucket. "_shines down… on us…_"

"_People make the mistake of thinking… it's for them…"_

Sora hardly knew he was singing, let alone what it was he was singing. A person close by knew though. Surprised by the words of the song, Aimé came around the corner, watching Sora sing from a distance.

"_But not us; the light shines down… for the people_".

Eyes wide, the girl could hardly believe what she was hearing. She knew the song from the book she'd been given about the Lost Kingdom; not only that, it was from her childhood. How Sora could've grown up without hearing it would be unfathomable – but he must have heard it once, for it knew it and was singing it now. Quietly, under her breath, Aimé was singing as well.

"_And we shine…_" She murmured, her voice lighter, more airy than Sora's.

"_… In the light._"

"_… In the light._"

Surprised to hear another voice with his, Sora perked up and glanced around. Shyly, Aimé came out from around the corner. "Uh… hey" She muttered, rubbing the back of her head.

Sora blinked. "Uh… hi."

"Sorry" Aimé walked towards him. "I just… know the song. It's really pretty huh?"

"Yeah… I guess it is." Sora frowned. "I know it, but I don't know from where. I swear I've heard it somewhere before…" Confused, Sora shook his head. Then a light bulb went off.

"Oh, I know!" Letting the mop handle rest in the crook of his arm, Sora's hit his fist against the palm of his hand. "I heard it at the Summit, just before I saw… Inuyasha. Weird… why'd I forget?" Confused, Sora shrugged his arms at his side. The mop fell and hit his foot, and the boy yelped.

Smiling a little as Sora scrambled after his mop, Aimé moved out of his way. "That song is from the Lost Kingdom… I think."

Being his usual "smart" self, Sora stepped on the broom handle, tripped, and fell forward face first into the bucket of water. Unable to help herself, Aimé giggled. Poor Sora's hair drooped depressingly as he spat water out. Aimé 's giggles became laughter.

Annoyed and frustrated, Sora threw the bucket at the side of the ship. Somehow it managed to fly over the side and into the water. Gawking, Sora leapt up and raced over to the side of the ship – but it was much too late, as the bucket had already become part of the ocean's bounty.

"Oh, man!" Shoulders slumped, Sora collapsed over the railing. "What'd I do to deserve all this?"

Laughing hysterically, Aimé shook her head at the downtrodden boy. "Oh, give up Sora. I'll handle the deck; it looks like you're a hopeless cleaner. Just go eat lunch before you break something." Gigging into her palm, Aimé picked up the mop. Finally calm, she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "Besides there's so much water on the floor there's no need for a bucket."

Sora sighed and smiled. "Thanks, Aimé . You're the best." His stomach took the time to rumble. "Eh… I think I will go eat!" He began rushing over to the stairs as Aimé shook her head, smiled, and set to work.

Then Sora remembered something and stopped at the top of the stair case. "Hey, Aimé ; did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Aimé seemed to have just remembered as well, but she shook her head and laughed. "It's nothing. Really."

Sora watched her for a sec, then nodded and headed downstairs. Brushing her brow off, Aimé sighed contently, and gazed up at the sky. Though it had been years since she'd heard the whole song, it was still engraved in her memory. She sang it quietly, sweetly, with no audience but the birds in the sky.

"_I know the stars are far away… and seem small… but they really… aren't at all._"

"_I know they are … specks in the sky … but hold on tight…_

_My little… Prince … of Light._"

0-0-0-0-0

With a broad grin Sora raced around the corner into the kitchen, food calling him from the very depths of his soul. A hand holding his grumbling stomach, Sora hurried into the cafeteria.

"Sora" Kurama greeted. "Finished already?"

"Aimé took over for me. I'm starving!"

"Wow, making a girl do the work for you, that's pathetic." Edward, sitting at the table eating his own lunch, smirked at Sora and took a bite of his own roll.

"He's pathetic, huh?" Ichigo cocked an eyebrow and smirk himself. "Wasn't it you who asked Tifa to help you with reaching that jar on the top shelf of the storage room? Huh, shrimp?"

The glass in Ed's hand cracked a little. "Oh – yeah?" He smirked broader. "And wasn't it you who was dense enough to comment on the scary guy's make up fetish?"

Ichigo's face turned red. And so did someone else's.

"Shut … up."

Both Ed's and Ichigo's eyes grew wide as out of the corner of their eyes they glanced at Gaara who'd been in the back corner the entire time. Gulping, Ed tried to look at the boy without making eye contact.

"Oh, hey, are you gonna eat that?"

Sora, a huge plate of food in one hand, pointed at a plate in front of Gaara, on which was a pile of almost untouched food. Sparkles glittered in the boys' eyes as he eyed Gaara's lasagna.

Surprised, Gaara blinked. "I … guess."

Surprised, Sora gaped. "All of it?"

"Sora, you just got a plate." Kurama attempted to speak some sense into the boy.

"Sure".

"YEAH!" Sora swept Gaara's plate over to his side, putting his own plate next to it. With a wide grin, Sora began gobbling it down, the other people in the room staring at him in disgust.

"That's…" Ichigo began.

"Gross." Ed finished.

"Congratulations Sora, you got them to agree on something!" Kurama smiled ever cheerfully. Sora grinned between mouthfuls, shoving a roll between his lips.

Gaara stared as the boy ate, and Sora hardly seemed to notice. It confused the boy; though he had recently made "friends" and perhaps learned more about love than he'd ever known, it was still surprising to him to find someone so unafraid of his intimidating aura and overwhelming glare. Perhaps it was the thick skull that kept Sora from being intimidated. That would make sense if history meant anything… (Since Naruto, the knuckle head ninja, seemed to not be intimidated by Gaara either.)

As Ichigo and Ed turned back to their own meals, and Kurama, with a knowing smile, began cleaning dirty dishes, Gaara and Sora enjoyed their "shared" meal.

Gaara glanced over the boy, finding him peculiar. "How do you eat that quickly?"

Sora was almost finished with his two plate meal. "Huh?" He gulped down the bite in his mouth and grinned. "Riku and I use to have contests over who could eat their meal the fastest." Sora pushed his chest out proudly. "I won sometimes!"

The ever permanent frown on Gaara's face lightened a little. "Huh."

Sora scooped one last bite into his mouth, and then let out a contented sigh. "Done!" He raced back to Kurama and put the plates by the sink. "Thanks Kurama."

"You're welcome."

Suddenly, a huge, astounding roar burst the silence around them, and the ship quaked like it had been turned on its side. Sora and Kurama toppled to the floor, both quickly covering their heads to protect themselves from the falling dishes and broken glass.

"Whoa!"

"Kurama!"

An entire shelf came loose from the wall, and all of the platters, dishes, and glassware began falling right towards the place Sora had fallen. The boy panicked hurrying to summon his blade and cast Aero… he didn't need to. Before he could summon his blade, a wall of sand came between him and the rubble.

"Thanks Gaara" Sora sighed, relieved. The red head nodded and stood, trying to balance. Even he fell down to one knee, a hand holding the table tightly as he grimaced.

"What's going on?" Ed gasped. "Ichigo!"

The boy's body was limp on the ground. Sora gawked, trying to crawl over to him. Kurama was not looking at the body; he, with the spiritual power of one who was once a demon, not human, watched as Ichigo's soul raced out of the room, decked out in Soul Reaper clothing. No one else realized that the reason Ichigo's body would not move was because its soul was not present at the moment. Of course, quickly enough, the soul pill came into effect.

Sora, worried, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Ichigo? Ichigo!"

The body twitched – and then, reacted. "YAAY!! LOVE!!!"

The Ichigo body leapt on Sora, wrapped his legs around his waist, and pressed his face against Sora's face, and the brunette was utterly terrified. Ed's jaw dropped at the sight; of course, neither of them knew that when a Soul Reaper wished to leave their body, they had to eat a soul candy, which replaced their soul with a different, temporary soul. These replacements were often odd.

"_YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY_!"

"Oh my GAWD, get it off me!!" Sora tried pushing the Ichigo body away, to no avail. Ed's brain wouldn't function.

Racing down the hall, Ichigo came up on deck, hurriedly trying to find out what had happened. "Holy… shit!" Ichigo's mouth fell open at the sight of the deck; the ship had crashed into a huge island, and the ship was literally beached.

"Hinata!"

Tifa reached for the screaming girl, but wasn't quite quick enough; she was about to fall over the side when Ichigo leapt forward, grasping her wrist tight. Hinata could not see Ichigo's soul, but she felt his hand on her wrist and gasped.

"W – Who's there?"

"Hold on!" Ichigo didn't think Hinata could hear her, but he spoke the comforting words anyway. He pulled her back onto the deck, and then glanced around. "Captain!"

Riku was sprawled over the deck, and a small amount of blood was trailing from his shoulder. Sir Integra was kneeling beside him as the quaking of the ship began slowing. Leaving the captain in her hands, Ichigo raced back downstairs towards his body.

Slipping back into it, Ichigo stood. "Come on, we've got to get out of here." The boy raced out of the room.

Sora and Ed watched him run off mouths hung open, eyes twitching.

_What… the hell!?_

0-0-0-0-0

As the crew of the Yume raced onto the deck to help their captain and figure out what had just occurred, they were watched from the depths of the island jungle. Sitting on the branch of a tall tree, a young girl eyed them, her legs swinging over the ground below. A little tune was on her lips, she hummed it as she watched the crew scramble about.

From far away Sora looked tiny holding Riku in his arms, trying to stop the bleeding. The little ship looked so small out there on the beach from her point of view.

The little girl held a little crown in her hand, as she ceased to hum and instead sang the melody.

_"Under the… specks of Light in the sky… _

_Hold tight; my little Prince of Light. _

_Hold on… be strong… _

_my little Prince of Light..."_

-0-0-0-0-

**Tomorrow I go see Sweeney Todd yay! Johnny Depp is the sex. Other than Alucard, of course. **

**How was everyone's holiday? Good? Bad? Moldy? Well, that's nice. Mine was okay. **

**BIRTHDAY NEXT WEEK YAY!!**

**The story is going well, and it is headed in a GOOD direction. Can't wait to see future responses to stuff that's gonna happen! Hehe!**

**Another story I am starting just for kicks is a Kingdom Hearts AU Yaoi. It will be RikuSora, LeonCloud, maybe something else… but I don't know. **

**It's going to be a story about a world that's been in war forever… one side the government, whose army is led by the General Sephiroth Jenova; the other, a rebellious army led by Squall Leonhart. **

**Two boys, Riku Jenova, and Sora Strife get accidentally involved in each other's lives when Riku doubts his father, and Sora's family is taken captive by the government army. Together, they set out to do what they think is the only possible solution to both their problems; find the warrior who was there at the beginning of the war… the Legend Cloud Strife.**

**I hope somebody thinks this is a good idea!**

**Next week I'll post the next chapter on mah birthday! I only ask that MAYBE I get a special birthday treat… reviews? I promise to make it a VERY good chapter! Maybe, please review??? puppy eyes**

**Going to post a new video on her you tube account, **

**SULHADAHNE**

_**  
**_


	15. Return of Hollow Bastion

"WHERE THE _**HELL**_ DID THAT ISLAND COME FROM!?"

It had been perhaps a few minutes since the violent landing of the Yume, and its crew had since gathered on deck. In the first few moments, concern for the captain was the major priority. During land Riku had fallen against the railing which had splintered when the ship crashed; his shoulder and left arm were ripped, not horribly, but if left unattended it could be a fatal wound.

Scrambling to aid their leader the group had yet to wonder what had happened. The only two not helping were a bit too dumbfounded to help – Sora and Ed were staring at Ichigo, wondering what had come over him in the previous chapter of KH-TFK.

"Step aside, quickly" Kurama raced over to the captain, rolling up his sleeves. Aimé held the boy as Kurama began looking over the wounds, analizing what he would have to do to help poor Riku.

Sora quickly overcame his stupor and hurried to his friend's side. "Will he be okay?"

"He ought to be, if I hurry." Kurama spoke briskly and began working. "Please, everyone, quiet down!"

"Quiet down!" Sora echoed. "Back away, give him some room!"

Listening for a heartbeat, Kurama placed a hand on his wrist. Running up the stairs Hinata came with bandages and placed them with the healer, who immediately began dealing with the largest wounds.

In a few minutes he was bandaged, and doing better. Sora felt his heart rate go down to normal speed, and he sighed. "That's a relief." He whispered.

"Let's place him in the captain's quarters to rest." Kurama lifted the boy to Vincent, who took him downstairs. Sora watched him go, still a bit worried, but he calmed himself.

At this point the boy looked out to the island they had landed on. Everyone began walking to the railing to look out over the land.

At this point Edward, staring dumbfounded at the island before them, said what every person was thinking.

"WHERE THE _**HELL**_ DID THAT ISLAND COME FROM!?"

Each person seemed a bit dumbfounded as to how they could've run into something as large as an island, but the person who'd been in the crow's nest was absolutely sure that a few moments before there had been no island. Hinata had been on duty in the nest at the time, and with her enhanced eyes, if she hadn't seen an island, then it certainly hadn't been there.

"Then the question is where did it come from, and why?" Sir Integra thought aloud.

"Another mystery on this strange sea." Miroku stroked his chin with a thoughtful look.

"What should we do?" Abel wondered. Glancing up at him, Sir Integra sighed.

"Well, isn't Aimé in charge when the Captain isn't?" Sora offered, turning to look to the small girl.

The other members of the crew turned to the girl as well. Surprised, Aimé glanced around, nervously crossing her arms over her chest. "Well… I suppose…" She mumbled. "If you don't mind…"

"You're the second in command here." Gaara commented. "You're in charge."

Nodding her head, Aimé bit her lip and began thinking. "Well…"

"Someone will have to go search the island. A group to see where we are." Aimé began.

"Good choice" Alucard murmured.

"And… a group to stay and guard the ship, and the captain. So… what should the teams be?"

"I want to stay with Riku!" Sora immediately began.

"No, Sora"; Surprised, the boy looked up to see Lupin speaking. "You'll be of better use on the island."

"He's right" Aimé agreed. Sora hung his head.

"D – Don't worry." Hinata muttered. "Riku will be f – fine."

Sora mumbled a little. "I hope so…"

"So, uh…" Aimé glanced around. "Would um… Hinata… Gaara… Ichigo… and Ed… you all go with Sora. And … Alucard to watch them."

"I'll go too." Sir Integra declared. She gave the vampire beside her a look. "To watch him." Grinning, Alucard seemed to taunt his master.

"Okay…" Aimé agreed. "Everyone else, let's get this ship fixed."

Sora watched everyone group together, still iffy about leaving Riku. He could probably dash into the room before anyone noticed… Suddenly, a strong grip took hold of his arm.

"Come on" Alucard grinned, pulling the boy along quite easily.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Let me go!" Unable to fight back, Sora had to watch as Alucard dragged him off the ship and towards the island, where the group was waiting.

Once on land, Alucard threw Sora onto the sandy beach, and with an angry huff the boy crossed his arms and sat there. "Come on" Ed muttered. "Don't be such a baby."

Sora rubbed his arm and stood up. "All right… I guess we should go."

_Yoo hoo!_

Sora jumped. Was somebody cat-calling him?

"Which way should we go?" Hinata murmured.

"Just walk right in, there outta be something in the forest." Ichigo responded.

_Hello!_

"You guys hear something?" Sora mumbled.

"As much as I hate not having a plan, it's the best idea so far." Integra admitted, heading towards the forest. First, she un-tucked her white shirt; it was getting very hot in the jungle. The others had the same idea; tying up their shirt ends, rolling up their sleeves. Only Alucard was unperturbed.

Sora's comment went unheard as the group prepared to enter the jungle. The boy let slide the voice he heard, turning to follow his allies.

The thick, dense forest hid the group from the sun, each person absorbed in their thoughts as they searched for any sign of something strange. Sora tried listening for a voice, but over the sound of his friend's footsteps he heard nothing. Sighing, he gave up.

"So, what are we looking for?" Ed sighed, hands behind his head.

"Anything at all." Gaara responded. "Anything suspicious."

"Any clue as to why this island just might've appeared outta fucking nowhere." Ichigo spat, frowning. Hinata nodded in agreement, though she might've phrased the words differently.

"Ugh, this is boring" Ed muttered.

"I heartily agree" Alucard smirked under his hat.

_Over here! Over here!_

"Damn it, who the hell is that!?" Sora proclaimed, stomping his foot as he glared out at the trees.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo wondered. The group slowed to a stop.

_Come! Come with me!_

"She's getting away…" Sora whispered. With a dash, the boy disappeared into the trees.

"Sora, w – wait!" Hinata called after him, mouth agape. Hardly after she'd gotten the words out of her mouth, Sir Integra leapt into the jungle, racing after the boy.

"S – Sir?" Surprised, Hinata watched her go.

"Hey, wait!" Ed called. He looked to Aimé, who'd been silent, the whole trip.

"Aimé?" Ichigo asked. The girl glanced up.

"Huh?"

"Have you even been paying attention?" Gawking, Ed stomped his feet. "Sora and that blonde scary woman just ran off into the woods! What do we do?"

Shaking her head, Aimé replaced her far off gaze with a determined look. "We follow!"

The group quickly chased after the two.

1-2-3

Gasping for breath, Sora raced with all his might after the voice taunting him. It was just out of reach, right there beyond the trees; he could hear Integra calling after him but paid her no heed…

_You're going to fall!_

Eyes wide, Sora slid to a halt as his running brought him dangerously close to a cliff. Right behind him, Sir Integra stopped, putting a strong hand on Sora's shoulder.

"What the bloody hell are you doing!?" She demanded.

Sora still did not listen. His wide eyes were dead panned, staring ahead. Shaking his shoulder desperately Integra's tone grew angry. "Answer me!"

Stumbling over words, Sora backed away from the edge. "N – No way…"

At this point, Integra released her hold on him. Slowly, she turned to look out beyond the cliff face. Behind the two the others came, hurrying through the trees with Edward in front.

"Sora-san! Integra-sama!" Hinata called, her chest heaving. The group slowed at the edge of the trees, staring out over the cliff face.

Beyond the cliff was an amazing sight, a beautiful spectacle – if you'd never seen it before. For Sora, it was a nightmare returned from the grave, a horrible dream he couldn't seem to awaken from. The memory was horrible – at least, of this time.

The first time he'd visited the place, it was a surreal dream. The second time, a sad goodbye. The times after that, it was home.

But now, there before him, stood the dark castle again – the floating elevators, the icy caverns, the Rising Falls – every challenge he went through, just to lose Riku again.

Hollow Bastion.

Maleficent's Hollow Bastion.

0-0-0

**I would've written more, but I wanted to leave you guys on a cliff hanger. Te he!**

**Sorry I didn't out as soon as I had hoped, but I got really busy. Right now my cute little baby niece is at the house, she is SO cute, and a newborn. I gave her a little Pikachu. The anime conversion has begun…**

**I hope everyone has enjoy this sequence, because now it is time to switch over to Kairi and Hogwarts. Which means you won't find out about Sora until SEVEN CHAPTERS FROM NOW!! Aren't I evil?**

**If you want to read an original story I'm writing about my friends and I go to deviant art dot com; my user name is the same there. It's actually an art website, but I only just got access to a scanner so I don't have any drawings up – YET. Soon I hope to post some fan art for this series. LOVE YA GUYS!!**

**Hurrying to work on her other projects,**

**  
SULHADAHNE**


	16. A Princess At Hogwarts

**RECOGNITION**

**Because I couldn't go on any longer without some thanks.**

**HOLY CRAP I swear there are some people who just don't stop reviewing and messaging and being awesome! Here are some amazing people I wish to thank:**

**Mooncry **

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**Raitokage**

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**All you guys, everyone that's ever read or reviewed or favorited or whatever else, YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**I've been going through a rough patch, and I apologize for the slowness. I SOWWY!**

**First Story Published: **_**Extreme Makeover: Bishounen Edition, **_**6-23-06**

**First **_**Axelerate**_** Chapter Published: 07-21-06, one year, seven months ago.**

**Most Recently Posted Story: **_**Pizza Delivery! **_

**Having Readers who actually care: PRICELESS.**

0-0-0-0-0

Kairi forgot how much she loved school.

Before the destruction of the island, before waiting for Sora and Riku to return one day, she had loved school. The routine, the work, the friends, and all the interesting things that happened at school – especially a wizard school.

In the first three days Kairi quickly caught up on all the wizarding rules and regulations – all the House cliques and all the quirks of the school.

Hogwarts School was the best place Kairi had ever been to – almost as strange and intriguing as Hollow Bastion had been when she'd first awoken inside it. The stairs never led the same place twice, and the old knights statues moved and the pictures talked. It was the most amazing, crazy, odd place she'd been too, and Kairi for once did not feel bad about being left behind.

Quickly she learned that each House had points to lose and earn, that the school sport was played on broomsticks, and that Prof. Snape was like Vexen but with a potions kit instead of a chemistry set.

As it so happened the Gryffindors hated the Slytherins and they hated it even more when Marluxia and Larxene ate lunch outside with the other members of the Organization XIII. One slick haired blonde had once commented on their lunch trips, and had then made a trip of his own to the hospital wing. He would perhaps never regain part of his dignity from being defeated by a girl and Marluxia's flowers– but Gryffindor officially adopted the two from then on.

School was going well for most everyone. The aforementioned Marluxia was doing very well – every day after Herbology he was practically beaming – and so was the Herbology teacher. Larxene wanted nothing to do with school but she often enjoyed herself hiding in shadows beneath the staircases or around corners, waiting for an annoying prick to come around for a shock. Often the prick was slick haired and blonde.

Namine had finished another painting – one of Sora, sitting on the beach in his swimming trunks on Destiny Islands. She absolutely loved school. Never in her existence had she been a student, and being a student of magic was even better. Ever assignment and every task Namine took with vigor and curiosity, no matter how boring it seemed to others. Her favorite class was actually potions; somehow, Snape was actually rather kind to the young blonde.

Kairi was happy for Namine, and she was feeling better. Every day it felt like a weight was being lifted off her chest, though she couldn't stop thinking of Riku and Sora.

The boy she'd met, Harry, had two friends, a boy and a girl, and every time Kairi saw them, she couldn't help but think of her friends. The number three seemed to be magic when it came to friendship.

Not only these things, but apparently some sort of tournament was to occur at the school. The students were a buzz with excitement over the upcoming events, the foreign students who would come for them (apparently these people were from other schools, not other worlds) and the foreign students from other worlds were allowed to participate. But there was an age limit.

Of course, this led to the argument Kairi was currently listening to, sitting out under the trees near the lake with all her friends.

"Damn it man, there's gotta be a way!" Cursing, Axel angrily chomped on his sandwich.

"Officially I'm only three years old. I shouldn't even be in the school. What kind of age requirements can they put on nobodies?" Roxas mumbled.

Shaking her head, Namine looked up from her painting to chastise her friends. "The tournament shouldn't be what you're thinking about. Axel, for example, has got to work on his people skills."

"Huh?" Demyx became curious.

"Axel set his potion on fire and blew up in Prof. Snape's face. He's got detention for two weeks and he lost Gryffindor a LOT of points." Rikku complained heavily, shooting daggers at Axel with her eyes.

"Hey, that asshole deserved to be knocked down a few levels!" Axel defended himself, red faced.

"And you so do that, cleaning the potions equipment every afternoon". Larxene added with a smug smirk. Axel muttered under his breath angrily.

"Anyway, so when are we going to ask?" Marluxia brought the conversation back to what it had been about.

"Wait till I can join you," begged Axel.

"I don't know why you guys want to do it. After all the battles we've been through, you'd think you'd want peace." Laughing, Kairi began packing her things.

"Where are you going?" Marluxia questioned.

"I want to check out the library. I haven't had the chance."

"Oh!" Gasping happily, Namine began packing her art supplies. "I want to come!"

As another cool breeze drifted over the group, Demyx pouted and turned away from the girls. "Fine, leave us! Be that way!"

The two giggled as they picked up their stuff and stood to leave. "Bye guys" Kairi waved.

"See you in DADA" Axel waved.

Hurrying across the grass, the two girls walked side by side towards the school. "So, enjoying your stay so far?" Namine began.

"Oh yeah" Smiling Kairi pulled open the side door for them. "I love this place. It's so…"

"Magical?" Namine giggled. The two silently agreed and entered the school.

"Classes are nice; the teachers aren't that bad. And most of the kids are cool." As Kairi spoke, Namine glanced over at the point hour glasses.

"Most of the kids" She mumbled. Kairi looked to where she was looking; the slick haired blonde from Slytherin was hanging about with his cronies there.

"Who is that jerk?" The red head spat, turning back to her friends.

"I don't want to know." They hurried up the steps and towards the library.

"Anyway, things couldn't be better for the moment." Namine smiled.

Entering the library the two parted ways to search for their selections; Kairi hurried towards magical history, and Namine ran to spells and incantations.

A part of Kairi's heart wanted Hogwarts peace to last forever.

But she knew that Nothing lasted forever.

And everything else would fade away.

1-2-3-2-1

Squall Leonhart gazed out over the lake with his cup of coffee and sighed. His was awaiting the arrival of the other leaders at the school, for a meeting he'd set up. He'd come early just to see the lake, and how peaceful it was.

Behind him was a giant tent beneath which the meeting would occur. Nowadays almost the entire school grounds was covered in tents and make shift buildings, like a giant school garage sale.

Footsteps came from behind the man, and he turned his head to see who was behind him. "Good morning" Lady Yuna stepped up in her school uniform, looking like just another student though she was much more.

"Morning to you" He smiled tiredly. "I'm about to fall asleep on my feet."

"Oh!" Yuna giggled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be" Yuna joined him by the lake side.

"So…" she began. "How're things?"

"They are, I guess." Leon shrugged. "No news from Riku. No sign of any heartless yet, or any more creepy spirits. It's almost too peaceful."

"I hear you." Sighing, Yuna glanced up at the sky. "Attending school… I never did that back home."

Surprised, Leon turned to her. "Really?"

She shook her head. "Instead I learned to be a summoner… a summoner did not attend school with other children, and they learned different things. School wasn't like this for me back then. It wasn't bad just… different."

"I see" Sighing, Leon glared at his empty coffee cup. Yuna smiled.

"Oh!" The two turned to see a few more people joining them. Looking up at Leon again, Yuna winked. "Looks like you'll have to do without."

"Oh joy" Leon frowned.

0-0-0

"Anything to report?"

The man shrugged. "Kids walking around, people hanging about… no ghosties or ghoulies, but the ones in that school up there." Yawning the man leaned back in his chair. "Nothing at all."

Cid frowned. They told him there was going to be action. Now he was antsy and there was none. He felt like choking someone.

"Hey wait." Cid's subordinate leaned closer to his computer. Startled and hopeful Cid leaned close over his shoulder towards the screen.

"What is that…?"

0-0-0

Lunch was almost over and Kairi was happily absorbed into her books, sitting at the window with her stack beside her. The world seemed peaceful; too peaceful… nothing in her life since the keyblade had ever been peaceful.

Sighing Kairi let her forehead rest against the glass. She had to become stronger. No matter how nice the school was she knew it wasn't her place. More than likely she would leave soon… before the end of the year even. Before then she had to become stronger.

Kingdom Hearts was so close… she could feel it… She could see it outside the school window, just beyond reach, glimmering in the dark with thousands of shades, thousands of facets like a diamond…

Suddenly Kairi realized what was in the sky was neither a diamond nor Kingdom Hearts. It was a flying stagecoach. And it was headed right for the school.

0-0-0

The foreign schools had arrived; that was the buzz around the school. The tournament would be held soon, people would be chosen, and it would be really awesome. That's what people were saying.

Demyx didn't care about that. He was more worried about surviving the day.

First he just had to run into Draco Malfoy right after breakfast. Ever since Demyx had accidentally tripped down the stairs and landed on the blonde he had been out for blood. Then in McGonagall's class he'd totally screamed when the teacher transformed into a cat. And now he had a bunch of homework, but worst of all… school was over. Which also meant his life was over.

Sucking in a deep breath and biting his lip, Demyx slowly edged around the corner, glancing this way and that. His hands were full of textbooks.

Demyx jumped when he saw movement down the hall, but sighed in relief to see it was just two Gryffindors.

One of them looked like that guy Murtagh from Demyx's favorite book, _Eragon_, which the authoress mentions because she has fallen in love with it and the hotness of Murtagh and only wishes she could read the series faster as to include it in her cramped mess of a crossover.

Demyx shook his head and sighed, slowly moving around the corner. If he could only get to the common room before…

"Well look who it is."

_Too late… _Demyx grimaced.

Shaking in his Organization boots, Demyx slowly turned around and gulped. Standing before him was the 6'7" foot tall behemoth that was his "teacher".

"Well, you ready kid?" Kenpachi grinned.

"Mommy?" Demyx cringed.

0-0-0

Demyx pouted as he followed Kenpachi out to the "training grounds" – a secluded area of the forbidden forest that they weren't even supposed to be in. Demyx pointed this out and Kenpachi told him he had permission – hearing this, Demyx tried to think of a new way to get out of his training.

"So, let's see what you got kid?" Grinning, Kenpachi stood to full height, arms crossed, not even pulling out his sword. Demyx gulped. "Let's see if you can even cut me."

"B – But – you see, what you don't know is…" Demyx faltered, shivering.

"What is it?" Kenpachi groaned, frowning at the boy.

"I can't fight anymore! My powers got taken away! I don't even have any aura or anything!" Flailing his arms around for effect, Demyx tried to convey his helplessness to his new teacher.

"Yeah… even I noticed you didn't have any reaitsu…"

"What?"

"Never mind! Just fight me!"

"Don't you see? I can't fight anymore! I don't have any powers!" Stomping his foot, Demyx actually got a little mad.

Kenpachi's grimace looked like a vision from hell. "Don't you get it that I don't care! When in battle your enemy won't ask you if you can defend yourself! You live or you die! Your choice! Now FIGHT ME!"

Demyx felt any confidence he had die when Kenpachi's overpowering aura flooded the area. Even after Kenpachi's "inspiring" speech, he could see no way that he would beat the tall man. He couldn't even summon his sitar, let alone any water. And what would he do to this man, bathe him to death? Demyx felt like sobbing.

Backing away as the man drew his sword, Demyx glanced around for anything to fight with. "Fine! If you won't attack I WILL!" With that, Kenpachi charged, and Demyx saw no way to stop it.

Then he remembered Sora. Sora was human, but he had all sorts of powers. So a normal human could learn to do stuff. How could Demyx do "stuff"? Before he could get chopped in half, Demyx leapt away with a frightened yelp.

There had to be a way to summon some sort of ability for Demyx knew he wouldn't win on physical strength alone. The boy continued dodging quickly as his enemy came towards him, thinking quickly.

Then, he had an amazing thought. Demyx grinned and leapt to the side one more time, before drawing his wand. He tried to think – if people in this world used magic all the time, perhaps he could too. But what words? Demyx stood against a tree pointing the wand at Kenpachi.

The taller man grinned. "Oh? What's that gonna do to me?"

Frowning, Demyx wondered for a moment what might happen if he… with a sigh he thought perhaps it wouldn't work. Maybe it would… determined, Demyx raised the wand high and shouted, "DANCE WATER DANCE!"

For a moment he stood still, hoping for something, for water, for a drop of rain. He thought he felt a shiver travel up and down his spine. Closing his eyes tight he hoped for something, anything. Then, the wand was knocked from his hand, and the cold metal of a blade was touching his throat.

"Playtime's over kid" Kenpachi growled. "You fail this test. You've got no talent at all. So we're gonna start from the very bottom, and work our way up. With no fucking magic, got it?"

Demyx felt like crying.

0-0-0

Leon glanced around the room one more time before sighing. As many people as he could expect to show had, so it was time to begin. The man stood and greeted the group, which was made of world leaders, teachers, and the three school administrators, two of which had just arrived. They would all have to prepare for dinner soon, so Leon decided to make it quick.

He explained what little he'd heard about Riku's progress, of what they'd seen in the three days time they'd traveled. He told them that no heartless activity had been seen, but that swells of darkness had appeared in the dungeon that would have to be taken care of. He continued to say more technical information, before giving the floor to the others for questions and concerns.

Prof Dumbledore stood, speaking for a moment before introducing the group to the two other teachers from the other schools. "… Igor Karkaroff, head of the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Learning, and Madame Maxime, head of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic." The first was dirty looking man and the second a tall French woman.

Leon introduced himself to the two new people, and the meeting began for real. They discussed the future, the plans, the tournament, and plans for any upcoming battles. It was all grievous work and Leon was ready for bed.

Near the end of the meeting Prof Dumbledore added something. He began to speak just as the others were preparing to leave, and saying goodbye.

"Mr. Leonhart, if I may…" he began. Leon turned back to him, and nodded. "May I know the name of the young red headed girl who just joined Gryffindor's house?"

Leon knew many red headed Gryffindors, and quite a few females, but he was pretty sure he knew who Dumbledore was speaking of. "Is she small with blue eyes? A fourth year?"

"That would be her." Dumbledore smiled.

"That's Kairi Ranshin, Princess of Light from Radiant Garden, of the Destiny Islands" Yuna said proudly the long title.

Other than Leon and Yuna, the others began to leave, but Dumbledore and the other Hogwarts professors hung back. Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were both present.

"Why do you ask?" Leon wondered.

"I wonder if it is for the same reason I noticed her." Snape spoke with his usually drawl.

"Doesn't the girl seem a little… well… odd?" McGonagall tried to put nicely. Yuna frowned.

"Not odd…" Dumbledore smiled. "Special. She is, you said, a Princess of Light?"

"Yes." Leon told him. "She's not been herself lately. None of them have. The reason I asked Yuna to keep her from joining the crew headed for Kingdom Hearts was because I knew she wasn't in the right state of mind. I thought a stable, comfortable environment might be better for her."

"It might." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I simply happened to notice a certain likeness between her… and another student. A blonde in Ravenclaw."

Leon and Yuna blanched, glancing at one another. The potions and transfigurations professors were both confused, wondering what Dumbledore was thinking.

"That's… a long story."

"And I am sure that, after dinner, we shall have time." Eyes ever sharp and bright, the man looked over his glasses at Leon, almost gazing at his soul. Leon shuddered. It wasn't a piercing gaze, but … it was like nothing was hidden from the old man's eyes. Dumbledore bid them well, and the two professors followed him. McGonagall looked over them one last time with sharp eyes, and Snape was gone with a shake of his black cloak.

Leon and Yuna shared a look.

"I suppose we're occupied tonight, aren't we?" He grumbled.

0-0-0

Racing down the path, Luxord hurried towards the RGRC tent. Inside Rinoa stood by the table, reading a report from someone. She glanced up at the man's arrival.

"Leon's at a meeting. Can I help you?"

"N – No, I uh… just wanted to report on the kids." Luxord stood and calmed his rapid breathing. "Nothing new but one thing. I haven't dealt with it because I don't think they'll listen to me, but Axel and Larxene are brewing something up…"

Rinoa furrowed her brows, ceasing to read. "What do you mean?"

Luxord frowned. "They are up to no good, and as far as I know, they plan to do something during to the Triwizard Tournament."

0-0-0

**THUS IT IS MY TRIUMPHANT RETURN!**

**I apologize for being gone for SOO long, I really need to get back into the pace of writing this. My soul was eaten by my novels. They called to me and I went like a moth to a flame. I will never ignore you like this again! I SWEAR!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this first of many Hogwarts installments. I wonder what Larxene and Axel are up to? EVEN I DON'T KNOW! Oh wait… of course I do. Stupid.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Trying to finish reading Eragon,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	17. Trouble With The Slytherins

Rinoa walked into the tent where Leon sat, head in his hands. Ready to fall asleep at his desk, the older man was trying to think of what to say to the elderly professor. Surely he'd already heard some of the explanation from the summit?

Though Yuna had explained everything, she attempted to skim the fact that Sora and Roxas and Namine and Kairi were related. It was safer for them to not be identified as being connected, or one could be used against the other. She'd left out other facts as well, but those weren't as directed toward the professor wanted…

Groaning Leon rubbed his temples.

"Oh, come on" Rinoa smiled, sitting on the edge of his desk. "It can't be that bad."

"I don't know." Dark rings circled around his eyes as he stood for another cup of coffee. Rinoa seemed worried.

"Well, why don't you let me go? I could talk to him."

"What's going on?"

A young Hogwarts student who'd arrived a bit late entered the tent. Rinoa smiled.

"I'm afraid the Prof wants to speak to Leon and he's not exactly up to it mentally."

"Well" The young woman smiled. "What would the professor like to know?"

0-0-0-0-0

Later Rinoa stood in another tent, across from the business area in the living quarters. She stood leaning against the crib, her hands caressing a sleeping child's cheek. Rin and Vex were cuddled to one another, growing bigger at an alarming rate. They already looked like three year olds.

As Rin cooed and smiled at Rinoa's touch, the woman felt butterflies in her stomach, grinning brightly.

"Don't tell me you want one of those." Leon sighed, walking in and collapsing on the bed.

Grinning brightly, Rinoa looked up at her boyfriend. "Aw! But they're so cute! And you don't even have to do much the first nine months!"

Cocking his brow, Leon put his hands behind his head. "I'm not so sure. I've heard a lot about insane cravings and mood swings, and I'm pretty sure those are bad enough right now."

The girl frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I don't have mood swings."

"Really?" Leon smiled.

Walking over to the bed, Rinoa crawled in beside him, turning the lamp off. The two moved close and Rinoa rested her head on Leon's shoulder, his breath tickling her neck. Leon's eyes skirted over the scar on her cheek to her beautiful eyes.

"You've really got to take better care of yourself." She told him.

His eyes fluttered shut. "I know."

As they fell asleep and left the world of consciousness, a small light drifted through the room. It danced above the crib, bringing giggles out of Rin's little mouth, before floating above Leon's bed. It watched them fall asleep.

0-0-0-0

The day had gone by quickly, and soon it was time for dinner. Absolutely starving Kairi hurried to the Great Hall, seeing friends in the hall along the way. Zexion caught her on her way, and invited her to eat out with the others in the tents.

"They're eating outside?" She wondered.

He nodded. "In the Organization's tent." Though whatever was wafting from the hall smelt good, Kairi was more eager to see her friends than she was to eat. So they both hurried away.

Axel, Namine, and Yuffie joined them along the way, the latter jabbering on angrily about some arrogant Slytherin boy.

The group left the castle and passed the Durmstrang ship out by the lake, looking it over curiously and chatting about the other foreigners. Continuing on, they came close to the Forbidden Forest before making a right and heading towards a large tent with the Nobody symbol on its top. It looked like it could house two Organizations, and it was very close to the RGRC tent.

"Come on, I'm starving" Axel grinned and lifted the flap back.

"Hey! Wait for me!" The group turned. Demyx was racing down the path, breathing heavily. "Whew!"

"Hey, where've you been?" Grinning, Axel slung his arm around the boy's neck. The sheepish boy tiredly looked up to his friend.

"Training. Personal torture. Come on let's get in there before Kenpachi finds me again!" Demyx laughed and hurried into the tent, followed by his laughing friends.

"Look who it is!"

The tent was actually quite clean, with many bookshelves around the edge, a large dinner table in the center, and a door leading into the kitchen in the top left corner. Xigbar was there to greet the group when they entered, and he pulled Demyx into a big hug.

"Hey, Xiggy!" He grinned, feeling the air being scrunched out of his lungs. Xigbar let him go and turned to the others, ruffling Kairi's hair.

"Hey, kids" He smirked. "Dinner's almost ready. You guys can hang outside while we finish up."

So the kids sat around the front, watching people go by and talking about their experiences so far. Yuffie was enjoying her third year status, though she complained about the potions master; once she did, Axel joined her, both raving and ranting about the "evil" teacher. Kairi just laughed and let them go at it.

"So, you had a good week?" Zexion, who was next to Kairi, wondered. The girl looked up at him.

"Yeah" She smiled. "It really has been a lot of fun."

The tent flap was thrown aside. "Dinner time!" Lexaeus came from the tent, smiling, and beckoned the group inside.

Sitting around the table were members of the Organization, the elder ones, with Xemnas at the north and Xigbar to the far west. Saix and his sister Mitsuka entered after, sitting by the kitchen door. Demyx grinned and waved, happily sitting down and eyeing the food hungrily.

"Hi, everyone" Kairi smiled. Yuffie waved and sat by Demyx. The group got settled even as more arrived; Cid and his wife Shera came to say hello, and Cid stole a biscuit before he left.

"So, how's it going with you kids?" Xigbar began, shoveling mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Great". Axel frowned.

"Good". Demyx shuddered.

"Well, I like it." Smiling, Namine grabbed a piece of bread as the basket went by her.

"How about with you guys?" Kairi wondered. "Are the leaders still meeting?"

"In smaller groups" Xemnas began, looking very much like he had a headache. "I'm afraid the many groups are not getting along as quite as well as we would like. Certain worlds can't seem to stand one another certain races are ready to bite each other's heads off, often literally. It's a nightmare."

Vexen entered the room, having left earlier when he heard his children crying. "Hey, Vexen" Demyx grinned. The man nodded to him and sat down. Demyx's grin turned to a frown. "Where's Ariel?"

Vexen sighed and smiled a little. "She's gone to the doctor's for a time, but she'll be back. I've got to take care of the twins until then." He looked like he was on the verge of yawning, but he held it back.

"Well, it sounds like we need to get the summit people together for some good, ole fashioned, friendship making." Xigbar told Xemnas. The latter grunted.

"Maybe if we get the kids to get along, the adults will go along with it." Kairi wondered. "But how to get everybody together?"

"Some kind of club maybe?" Namine shrugged, finishing off her plate. She ate daintily like a bird.

At this moment Luxord walked in. "Superior" As soon as he appeared, Xemnas stood, brushing his lips off with a napkin before sauntering away. The two disappeared out the door, heading towards what sounded like a fight.

The group shared a look before the kids all stood and ran to the door, peering out into the outside.

A huge group of people was formed around the pathway, cheering, shouting, and jeering, and Luxord and Xemnas were running towards them. Kairi walked out of the tent after, and the other kids followed. Xigbar stood and joined the others, pushing past the kids to follow Xemnas.

"You think it's a fight?" Namine ran up to Kairi.

"I hope not." She sighed. "Riku, Tidus, and Sora got into fights all the time on the island. That was bad enough."

For a moment the crowd parted and Kairi got a glimpse of someone familiar. She gawked. "No way"

In the center of the fight was Roxas, who was actually on his back being beaten into the ground. Two boys were on top of him, huge hulks in Hogwarts uniforms. As soon as she saw what was happening, Namine gawked and raced towards him.

"Roxas!" She screamed, pushing the crowd aside. Kairi, shocked, raced after her.

Namine reached into the fight and tried to grab one of the boy's arms, but he shook her off so violently she flew back into the dirt. "Namine!" Kairi screamed. She raced to the girl.

At that very second, two guns were pointed at the boy's heads, and they stopped moving. Standing right above them, behind Roxas, was Xigbar. Saix was behind him, growling menacingly.

"Now…" Xigbar started. "I want you to stand up and turn around slowly. And all you back up!" He referred to the crowd, and they all stood and began backing away.

"What's going on?" Demyx looked shocked.

"Those guys were fighting Roxas."

Axel stormed past the group and joined Xigbar, his weapons flaming to life as he placed them right next to the nearest boy's head.

"Axel" Xigbar muttered. "Back down. You're a student, now back down."

"How'd it feel, fool?" Axel spat to the boy, his face stone cold and his eyes enraged. "You think you want to reenact it?"

"Axel" Saix growled quietly. The boy stopped talking, but did not move.

"What is going on here?"

The group turned to see a teacher coming down the pathway, his eyes wide in surprise. He was Severus Snape, head of Slytherin house. Kairi watched him almost glide down to the scene, and the students surrounding the scene backed away.

Once they'd move, Kairi could see the group better. The two big boys were standing in front of a blonde boy – Draco Malfoy. He gave Kairi a bad feeling. Xigbar had his guns still at their heads, but he backed up and let them down. Saix stepped forward and put his arms under Roxas, helping the boy up. Axel, still infuriated, had his weapon against the Slytherin's head. The boy looked ready to pee himself.

Snape looked over the scene, and his eyes stopped on Axel. The red head was ready to snap, but controlled himself. "I believe the fight is over boy." Malfoy smirked.

Axel gave Snape one withering look before angrily snapping his arm away. He stormed over to Saix and Roxas, his weapons gone.

Xigbar let his guns disappear. He stepped up to Snape, and as he did, he grabbed the two big guys by their collars and dragged them. When he moved towards Malfoy, the blonde didn't move.

Smirking, Malfoy looked at Xigbar with arrogance. The scarred man leaned down in his face. "Move, little man, or I'll make you" The smirk faltered a little, and when Xigbar kicked the boy, he gave a squeal.

"I believe these lumps are yours." Xigbar proclaimed, dropping the fat students down beside Malfoy. One of them whimpered.

Snape looked from the pathetic students to Xigbar, a scowl on his face.

"I trust they'll get the proper punishment." Xigbar said his look firm.

"I trust." Snape responded. Looking down, he quickly beckoned the children follow him as he turned. The two fat ones scrambled after, and Malfoy stood, gave Xigbar one last look, and then fled.

"That's what I thought!" He smirked, feeling proud of himself.

"Roxas!" Namine raced to the boy. "What in the world happened? Will he be okay?"

"He's fine. Takes more than that to beat this kid." Xigbar grinned, kneeling next to him.

"Step aside! Please!"

Once again the group parted, and Yuna stepped up. "Yuna!" Kairi grinned.

She smiled and kneeled. "Don't worry" Yuna nodded to Namine. "He's safe with me."

0-0-0-0

Much later, the group had gotten back together; lunch was over, the students were back in school – but for Roxas, still in the Hospital Wing.

Classes went so horribly slowly for the children, who were still worried about Roxas. Many of the RGRC who hadn't been there had learned of the incident, and had responded accordingly.

Rikku was in detention for the rest of the week when she'd tripped a Slytherin who'd been happily talking about Malfoy's actions. Luxord, who'd surprised everyone by telling them he was the RGRC/Org connection to the school itself, made sure Snape, punished the children by appealing to Dumbledore himself.

"If I'd known Luxord had that power sooner, I would've used it!" Larxene grinned.

Marluxia and Larxene, being Slytherins, got the best revenge – let's just say Malfoy and his cronies would have a lot of trouble sleeping for a long time.

The one handling it the worst was Axel – the boy couldn't do anything though, because Snape had his eye on him. He knew he had to behave, but Axel was ready to kill something – mainly three snobs.

Once the long school day was over, the group went to visit Roxas. It was such a huge group of people from the Organization, the RGRC, foreigners Roxas had met (even old friends like Yugi Mouto and Inuyasha) plus Hogwarts students who'd just recently met him.

The nurse was shocked and had quite the time keeping them out. Only three were allowed in – Namine, Kairi, and Axel.

The girls came in first, holding each other's hands. Kairi squeezed the blonde's hand as a sign of support; Namine looked ready to be sick. Axel was sick too – with himself, and could hardly stand to look at Roxas.

The boy would be fine – he'd gone through worse – though his face looked like a rotten fruit. Yuna had helped immensely, and the nurse found little she could offer but rest.

Eventually, she kicked the group off, and set to the amazing feat of forcing the huge group outside the wing to leave. During the commotion, Axel left.

Silent, brooding, and infuriated, Axel raced off wandering the halls without reason. He felt so useless! He'd been sitting around eating while his friend had been jumped by the stupid blonde and his freaky friends.

So very angry, Axel punched the nearby wall, seething. The shock moved a few paintings. "Watch what your doing boy!" An astronomer in a nearby picture commented.

"Yeah, yeah" Axel spat, moving on.

He'd already failed to help Roxas before… how could he fail again? Axel rubbed his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.

As he did, a sound slowly came to his ears. It was the soft, sweet song of a violin, swelling with power and then falling back into sweet melody. Surprised by the sound of it, Axel looked up, glanced around. It was coming from down the hall…

Quietly walking down the hallway Axel perked his ears; the sound got louder and he could easily hum along to the tune. It was a beautiful, sad song, yet endearing and overwhelming. The pains Axel felt seemed to pale in comparison to the pain in the song.

Curious and enraptured, Axel turned the bend, and came upon the musician.

Sitting beneath the nearby window was a young woman, with dark, spiked hair, blue oceanic eyes, and lithe, firm limbs – she was playing the violin, sitting in her school uniform by the arch way of the window.

Axel stared, in shock and doubt, and a little hope rose in his chest. Slowly, he stepped forward.

The musician, without ceasing to play, looked up. Her eyes became very wide, shocked, and perhaps pleased. Her playing came to a quiet end, and she stood, grinning.

"Axel" She grinned widely.

Almost breathless, Axel smiled a little. "Aisu"

0-0-0

Prof Dumbledore awaited the arrival of Squall for their meeting, his sparkling eyes full of unasked questions. Prof McGonagall looked impatient, and when the door opened, she stood. Prof Dumbledore sat straight in his chair, looking to the door.

From the door came a small teenager, with a demure smile.

"Good afternoon" Aerith smiled. "May I come in?"

**0-0-0**

**HALLO!**

**Been a while huh? Sorry this took so long. I had more I wanted to but it'll wait. I've got a sweet, awesome idea! Just wait!**

**Forgive me Roxas! I'm so sorry!**

**Anyway… not too much plot here, just some fun stuff. And some bad stuff. But it's moving slow and steady.**

**Anyway… I've been working on my novel, and I need some people to tell me what they think. I'm thinking of posting in on fictionpress dot net, which is a lot like fanfiction dot net, but for original works. If I posted it there would you all want to read it?**

**Tell me what you think! Hope you enjoyed!**

**Racing out of the room to get a coke,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	18. Snake Up The Butt

"Well, it sounds like we need to get the summit people together for some good, ole fashioned, friendship making

_"Well, it sounds like we need to get the summit people together for some good, ole fashioned, friendship making." _

_"Maybe if we get the kids to get along, the adults will go along with it." Kairi wondered. "But how to get everybody together?"_

_"Some kind of club maybe?" …_

_Some kind of club maybe? _

"A club…"

It was nighttime, and Kairi was sitting in her pajamas in the common room, alone. The night sky sparkled outside the window as the red head sat deep in though, reviewing her options.

The people from the Summit had "gotten along" but hardly bonded with each other. For instance, the other day a Bangaa from Ivalice had supposedly caused some trouble by the lake when responding to a Youkai who had called him a "lizard demon". A terrible misunderstanding of the sort that happened at Hogwarts everyday.

Kairi felt almost helpless to fix the situation, but also felt it was part of her duty to try. Sora and Riku were once again off to save the world – she had to keep busy somehow.

The door to the common room opened, and an exhausted Yuna stepped through. Kairi stood and raced over to her.

"How's Roxas?"

Yuna smiled a little, wiping her brow. "He's fine. He'll be back in class tomorrow. Just needs a lot of rest so the swelling will go down." Collapsing on the sofa, Yuna sighed. "This is never going to work."

"I know" Kairi joined her on the sofa, quietly pondering the situation. "Everyone… it's so tense. I don't know what to do."

The crackling of the flames in the fire place was the only sound. Even Kairi's mind seemed like a silent abyss. She hadn't a single idea as to how to solve their problem.

Yuna stood and stretched, stifling a yawn. She leaned against the side of the sofa. "Back home, in Spira… of course, we had a lot of racial problems for a long while." She chuckled a little. "The only thing we all had in common was Blitzball."

Confused, Kairi turned towards her friend. "Blitzball?"

"A sport" Yuna answered simply. "Two teams trying to score in an underwater arena. Everyone loved it." The woman yawned again, unable to stop it, and smiled one last time at her friend.

"I'm heading upstairs." She began walking towards the staircase.

"Goodnight" Yuna waved behind her and spoke. She brought Kairi out of her thoughts.

"Oh – Goodnight!" Kairi responded. The older girl was already gone, but Kairi wasn't thinking about that.

_The only thing we all had in common was Blitzball_

"Huh" Kairi smirked a little. "A sport…"

Standing the red head put a hand under her chin. "A sport… but… who could… yes… and then… but… no, I've got it…"

Smiling the girl ran across the room to the door. She knew it would be bad to be out of the House, but she didn't mind that. She was just about out the door when…

"Hello?" Kairi jumped, spinning around.

It was Harry, standing at the bottom of the stairs, his hair looking much like Cloud's since he must've just gotten out of bed. The girl nervously looked him over, whispering a shy hello.

"Leaving the house?" He asked with a small smirk.

"Y – Yeah. The bathroom, and all."

"There's one upstairs." Harry responded, crossing his arms smugly.

Sighing, Kairi frowned. Harry quirked an eyebrow. In response, the girl huffed. Both stood at a standstill for one more moment, before Kairi gave in.

"I need to go to the library." She told him. "Don't worry, I won't get caught."

"No, you won't." Harry smiled. "Wait one sec" He disappeared back up the staircase.

Puzzled, Kairi stood still unsure of what to do. "Huh?"

0-0-0

"I've seen all sorts of things in my life, but a rug that makes people blind to you?"

"It's not a rug, it's an invisibility cloak! And it doesn't help if you talk while you wear it!"

Harry and Kairi had been yammering back and forth since leaving the Common Room, squished together under Harry's Handy Dandy Invisibility Cloak. A useful item that truly did look like a rug because of all the tassels.

"Fine, shut up then!" Kairi spat, childishly jutting out her lip. The two kept walking silently from then on. Harry was leading the way, since he certainly knew it much better than the recent arrival.

Even though she hadn't been at Hogwarts long, the silence in the hallways was disturbing. Kairi was use to all the crowds and the quiet was killing her.

Luckily they made it to the library quick; Kairi rushed in with Harry, hoping to finish her errand fast.

Flinging the cloak off, Kairi glanced about, made sure it was safe, and then hurried across the floor. Holding the cloak, Harry rushed after. Quietly they pushed the door and it opened with a creak, both teens slipping inside.

"So what is it you're looking for?" He wondered as they turned a corner. Kairi was reading the titles on the shelves.

"When we first came here, a new section was added to the library that had books from other worlds. I want to research an aspect of history."

"And it couldn't wait?"

Kairi smirked, kneeling down by the bookshelf. "No" She pulled a book down. Going from a kneeling position to sitting cross legged, she read the title aloud. "_The Cultures of the Worlds_" Curious, Kairi opened it up.

Joining Kairi on the floor, Harry frowned. "What's so important exactly?"

Rolling her eyes Kairi gave him a look. "If it was such a bother, you didn't have to come." Harry frowned and ignored her.

Scanning the contents, Kairi flipped to a chapter she thought might help her. "_Entertainment…_" Flipping pages, she scanned the words.

Harry leaned over her shoulder. Grinning in victory, Kairi began reading aloud.

"_Sports around the universe_… that's what I've been looking for."

"That was so important?" Harry wondered indignantly. Kairi rolled her eyes again and kept reading.

"It mentions Blitzball… heh. But making a water dome would be troublesome… hm… soccer…"

"Heh" Harry laughed at the word. Kairi ignored him.

"Tournaments… no, we don't want to encourage fighting…" Kairi shook her head and flipped the page. "Duel monsters… that's too complicated…"

"We can't hang around all night." Harry seemed on edge checking over his shoulder. Kairi kept flipping pages.

"Hm… Chocobo racing? No…"

Suddenly the girl gave the book an odd look.

"Quidditch?"

0-0-0

"I had heard of your story at the summit only so long ago." The elderly man began. "Though, I knew then, there where… parts of the story not revealed, and quite so."

Aerith listened tentatively to Dumbledore's words, as McGonagall stood in thought behind her.

"To know that Namine and Kairi share this bond… is not a surprise. The sorting hat has already revealed this to me." Dumbledore motioned towards the object, which nodded as best as a hat can. Aerith smiled and nodded in return.

"My only question now is Kingdom Hearts. You must know the girl has been affected."

"They all have." Aerith sighed. "The princesses of Light have not been fairing well. Kairi perhaps least of all because of all the stress the young ones have had on them."

"It seems too often the young fight the wars started by their elders." Standing Dumbledore walked around the desk. For a moment, he stood silently. "I should like to speak to Kairi."

Aerith smiled and stood. "I understand."

0-0-0

Harry turned at the mention of the word.

"Huh… is this your world's sport?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah… it's a lot of fun. But it's been canceled this year, because of the Triwizard Tournament."

Kairi sat silently for a moment. "Tell me about it" She stated.

Harry shrugged. "Well" He thought it over for a moment. "It's two teams of seven flying on broomsticks. There're three Chasers, they try to score… one Keeper… he guards the three goals at the end of the field. There's the Seeker, he tries to find the snitch; it's this… little golden ball." Harry demonstrated with his hands. "When the Seeker catches it, the games over, and his team gets 150 points."

"Last are two beaters. They fight off the bludger; nasty things. They fly around trying to knock everyone off their brooms. In the end, whoever has the most points when the snitch is caught wins. That's usually the team what gets the snitch."

"Uh huh…" Kairi nodded. "And you all have a field for that here?"

"Of course" Harry laughed. "It's the school sport."

Grinning Kairi practically shoved the book back on the shelf. "Of course!" She laughed. "Why'd I come all the way here just to find the answer from you?"

Harry blinked. "What answer?"

Standing, Kairi motioned for the cloak to be thrown over both of them. "I needed to find something, a sport, for everyone to play. Something to bring the different races together. Quidditch would work I think. It sounds a little odd, but not that complicated. There are a lot of different roles, for all sorts of different people… it's got potential."

As they headed down the hall, towards the library exit, Harry spoke again. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but… Quidditch was canceled."

Kairi glanced up at him. "Huh…" She thought again for the moment as both of them stood by the door, listening for someone. Then, they quietly sneaked out.

"Prof. Dumbledore… where's his office?" Kairi wondered.

"Dumbledore?" Surprised, Harry nodded towards the left. "Up the stairs and down the hall up that way.

"Thanks" Kairi flipped out from under the blanket, and began heading down the hall.

"H – Hey!" Surprised, Harry stared at the girl as she raced off. "You'll get caught!"

"I'll be fine!" She waved behind her. "See you later!"

With that, she was gone.

Harry stood silent for another moment, unsure of what had just happened.

"I forgot to tell her about the password." He muttered. Then, he shrugged, and headed off to bed.

0-0-0

Harry must not know the school as well as she'd thought. Kairi huffed and glanced around. The corridor the boy's directions had led her to ended with the statue of a winged lion of some sort. There was no door to the Professor's office.

"Darn it…" Though she'd been confident before, Kairi was getting a little worried about being out so late. Waking up was going to be such a chore… still, it was important to get business done quickly, so she could enact her plan. Where in the world was Dumbledore?

Stomping her foot, the girl sighed and looked up. "I guess I should move on" He had to be nearby. Maybe she simply took a wrong turn…

Just as the girl began walking away, a rumbling sound came from behind her. Slowing to a stop, Kairi glanced over her shoulder, eyes wide. The lion-bird thing was turning! A staircase revealed itself on the inside, and coming down it were Prof. McGonagall, Aerith, and… Prof. Dumbledore!

Surprised, relieved, and confused, the girl stood with a dazed expression on her face as the three appeared. At first they didn't notice her, until they walked out of the alcove and stepped into the hallway.

"Oh – Kairi!" Aerith gasped, smiling a little. Then she frowned. "What are you doing up so late?"

Flustered, Kairi responded hurriedly. "Uh, hi Aerith – Good evening Professors."

"Ms. Ranshin?" McGonagall began, surely waiting for some sort of explanation, hands on her hips.

"I'm truly sorry but I have to speak to Prof. Dumbledore." She began nervously, stepping forward to look up at the elder man. "If it's okay."

Eyes twinkling as usual, the Prof shared a look with Aerith, before nodding. "Of course. We'll meet in my office. Prof. McGonagall, Ms. Gainsborough…" He bid the others goodbye as Aerith gave Kairi a quick hug, and McGonagall gave her one look over, nodded, and walked away.

Kairi watched them for a moment, wondering to herself for the first time why Aerith and the two professors would be speaking together, at so late a time. The clearing of Prof. Dumbledore's throat woke her up.

Spinning around, the girl saw the Prof extending his hand, offering for her to walk up the staircase. Hurrying up the stone steps, Kairi came to a mahogany door, and stood waiting for the Professor. "Go on" He bid her, following her up the steps.

A little hesitant, the teen nervously turned the handle and pushed the door open.

The office within was like something out of a novel. All sorts of gadgets were about, little knick knacks, mysterious cabinets, pictures of old Professors from long ago. A beautiful golden bird perched on a pole nearby, and the sorting hat sat on a shelf, awaiting use.

"Nice" Kairi commented. The Prof walked out from behind her and up the steps, chuckling.

"I suppose" He added as Kairi followed him. "Now, Ms. Ranshin, what was it you wished to speak to me about?"

As the Prof sat down and set his hands on his desk, fingers laced together, Kairi thought about how to word her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she sat down. Somehow she felt small sitting across from Dumbledore, nervously twiddling her thumbs. _I shouldn't be bothering him about this_… her faith in her plan faded a good bit.

"Well, I …" she muttered.

"Go on" Dumbledore said.

She began. "Ever since we arrived here it seems like more trouble has been happening. What I mean is, the different groups of people who got on well enough at the Summit seem to be getting rough with each other here. Maybe it's extra tension because of the trouble that's been started, but I'm worried that we might never get along."

"A worry I'm sure many share. Including your leader, Mr. Leonhart." Hearing someone call Leon by his last name felt odd, but mention of the man gave Kairi a little strength. She was trying to help; no one could think her stupid for that.

"Well… my friend mentioned something that got me thinking. Lady Yuna; she said people of her world had trouble getting along, but that they all got together for one thing." Kairi paused for dramatic affect. "This sport, called Blitzball; all the races loved it. I started thinking about it, and…"

"You thought perhaps a 'universal sport' might bring people closer together?" Dumbledore summed up her thoughts.

"Yes" Kairi nodded, feeling that her idea didn't sound as stupid when Dumbledore said it.

For a moment the man was silent. Then he spoke. "Did you have more to say?"

"Well…" She leaned forward. "I was looking up different sports around the universe, and I saw your world's sport, Quidditch. With a little mixing up, we could have a good sport on our hands."

Dumbledore's eyes glistened at Kairi over his glasses; the girl suddenly turned red. "N – no! I don't mean it's not already a g – good sport, I mean – "

"One good for our purposes" He corrected. Kairi gave a sigh of relief. He understood what she meant; he was just teasing her.

"I don't want there to be two teams." She said. "Then people could start playing favorites, and then the sport could become another way people argue. By making one team everyone supports the same group."

"You would certainly have to change the game to apply it to one team."

Kairi nodded. "This was my idea. I thought we could change it so that the scoring and playing had more obstacles – like the bludgers, but more, and different things. Maybe, like… I haven't totally thought about this part. But maybe different contests representing different worlds?"

Dumbledore thought on this for a moment.

"Allow the worlds to make many different teams." He started. "Each plays this game of the team versus the obstacles. The score they receive is then matched against other teams that have played. In this way, there is less competition, but a goal is still there. You see?"

"That makes sense" She grinned. "It could actually work."

"It would not be true Quidditch. It could have elements of many sports." Dumbledore stood. "Make the changes you think necessary. Work with some of your friends. Once you have a full plan, and a team willing to play, and then return to my office. We will discuss this again at another time."

"Yeah" She nodded. "Sorry about getting up so late – I just knew if I didn't say my ideas I'd probably lose them."

"Quite all right." He smiled. "I had wanted to meet you as well. I've heard much about you, Kairi Ranshin. All good of course!"

"I'm glad!" She laughed, standing. "Tomorrow I'll try and finish this idea."

"Good, good" Coming out from behind his desk, Dumbledore placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you have found something to busy yourself with. A restless mind is never pleasant."

"Uh – yeah" Nodding, Kairi stepped down the stairs, waving goodbye. "Thanks again Professor!"

Dumbledore nodded. "Good night"

0-0-0

What a day.

Axel grinned, arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. It was really late at night, and he was still unable to sleep. What a great day.

The image of Roxas on the ground flooded his brain. Frowning, Axel corrected himself; a sort of good day. That part was really bad! The rest was good.

Sighing the boy closed his eyes, reminiscing. Of all the places to see Aisu Yuuchou again, a school for sorcerers? _Eh, wizards, same difference_, Axel thought.

Aisu; during his time on the Destiny Islands, before the summit, Axel and Aisu had become good friends. She was almost like the little sister he'd never had. Of course, Sora was like his little brother too. Sometimes, back when they'd hang out on the beach, the two dorks would tackle him, and even though he was taller, the midgets would get him with greater numbers.

Good memories… he thought. Still, though he missed those times, having the Organization back was well worth the sacrifice of peace and hanging out on the islands.

The Organization…

The day back in Kingdom Hearts returned to him. The day when darkness was supposed to have faded, and the Organization disappear into the light. Moments before this all happened, when the group was about to say their goodbyes, Axel remembered the conversation the fourteen of them had had.

Spiritually, they all had sat together, preparing to go to the light.

_"Gonna be an awkward goodbye, huh?" Xigbar muttered. A dark look was on his face, one of loss and pain. "Almost like we just started living our lives and its over."_

_No one said a word, but the older ones all looked at each other, as if to agree. Demyx sat by Xigbar's legs, and looked up at his hero sorrowfully._

_"Reminds me of that day, back then" Zexion had muttered, staring at the floor. "Back before all of this. When Xehanort found the door in the castle. When we all decided to go through." Namine sat by the man, with Roxas on her other side. Both were very silent. _

_"No on knew what would happen" Lexaeus added, his eyes clouded and his thoughts far away. There was another quiet pause. Saix stood up and walked away, moving off to look at the sky._

_"Why'd you do it?" Larxene had whispered, staring at the ground as she sat against Marluxia's shoulder. She turned and looked at Xemnas. "You had everything. Apprenticeship with the most intelligent man in the world. Everything was open to you. Every road was paved."_

_She paused for a moment. "I know why I leapt into darkness. It was all I had. But you all had everything."_

_"I hadn't thought so." Xemnas muttered. "I had only bits and pieces of my memories. Only shards of who I was. To this day… I hardly remember. I try not to anymore."_

_"To me darkness was a way to fill the void I felt inside that science had once filled. But my curiosity with the unknown had grown from calculations and studies to going out and doing it myself. I wanted to leave." Xemnas paused then he chuckled. "I didn't ask anyone to come with me."_

_"Didn't have to ask" Xaldin smirked._

_"Heh…" Axel smiled a little. "At least you all choose to go into the darkness."_

_At this moment Xemnas looked up, a little surprised. A soft look came over his features._

_"That's odd…" Luxord muttered. "I remember being told most of the powerful nobodies were people who had embraced darkness." Glancing at Vexen, he asked. "Am I right?"_

_Vexen, too, looked puzzled. "You didn't try to leave your world? Or wield shadows? Nothing to attract darkness to you?"_

_Axel was shocked. "You mean – I'm the only one?" He looked around. "What about you Demyx?" Eyes falling on the young blonde, Axel stood. "Did you choose this?"_

_"I don't remember." He shrugged._

_Surprised, and confused, Axel glanced around. "Heh" He laughed. "No wonder me and Roxas get along so well." Looking up at his blonde friend, Axel nodded and sat back down. "We were in the same boat." Roxas looked up at this moment, smiling slightly. He and Xemnas shared a look. Then the leader turned back to Axel._

_Xemnas watched him one more moment._

_"Hey. Axel."_

That was all he remembered. At that point, his memories began again with him awakening on the Islands. He'd been told that the Organization had left for the Light without him. When he'd asked how, they'd all tried to tell him but most had been distraught. Everyone at the time had been out of it.

The only one able to tell him was Cid.

"All of em took what Light had grown in their hearts and gave it to you." He'd begun. "So when the Light started taking creatures of the dark away, there was so much light in you it didn't see the dark. You stayed behind."

And from there, Axel had gone into a state of shock. He had been the last of his kind. The last of his group; of his friends. Sure, the humans were his friends – but in the end, he was going to outlast all of them. In the end, he'd be alone.

For a while he'd not talked to anyone. He'd become a recluse. Surprisingly Aerith had been the one to drag him out of his shell; she told him all about the Cetra and her world and how her entire race had been wiped out. She was the last one.

This was depressing enough to give the new emo Axel more to mope about, but it made him feel not so alone. Even though Aerith and pulled him out of his shell, the one to keep him out was Aisu.

She was always with him, from day one. It was like the others had assigned her to watch over him, and if that was the case, Axel was glad. Aisu had been a blessing during a time Axel didn't even feel like living. Luckily, she'd kept him alive long enough to get his friends back. He'd never really been alone… but he felt a lot better knowing now he'd never be alone. Not even centuries down the road.

Knowing that, the boys who'd hurt Roxas had better watch out. Axel had lost his friends once, but that wasn't happening again. It made his blood boil just thinking about it. Anyone trying to hurt any of his friends was gonna be burned alive, and he didn't care what happened if he did do it.

These thoughts swirling in his mind, his anger at the boys, his concern for Roxas, his gratitude and friendship with Aisu all fluttered through his mind as Axel finally fell asleep.

0-0-0

Waking up was not an easy task for Kairi and Axel.

Both red heads slept in; Kairi was awakened by Namine's voice in her mind; the blonde having realized her friend wasn't getting up. Axel wasn't so lucky. The older teen ended up missing breakfast and having to go straight to class.

Hungry, bored, and sleepy, Axel ended up with more detentions when he fell asleep in Herbology. Kairi on the other hand kept wide awake; each time she began nodded off Namine's resounding mental shouts woke her up.

Potions was horrid, since the cold room kept lulling them both to sleep. And of course, Potions is a class where focus is important, and Axel had trouble with that normally. The potion he was brewing ended up exploding purple gunk which just so happened to blast onto Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle in the front of class. Many people appreciated that – except for Snape.

"I will see you after class" The man had seethed.

"I think there must be a snake stuck up his ass, because whenever he opens his mouth all I hear is _hissss_" The red head had commented moodily.

Another week of detention for Axel.

0-0-0

When lunch rolled around Kairi was more than happy. Not only was she hungry, but she was eager to reveal her plan to her friends.

Rushing towards the Gryffindor table with a skip in her step, the red head grinned and sat with her friends.

"Guess what?" She began.

0-0-0

Everyone was eager to join in on the team sport.

The group decided to meet after school to talk about what changes to make to the game, and how to go about playing it. Of course, Axel was bummed he wouldn't be going, but assured his friends that he would somehow make it.

"Just gotta escape Snake Ass" He muttered, using his new name for the Potions Master.

"What?" Kairi shook her head.

"He's as cruel as a snake, and he's an ass" Axel grinned. "I like the title"

Lunch was spent jabbering on about the new sport and what to do, and who to contact; Harry even joined in when Kairi mentioned he'd helped her. The boy agreed to bring some of his friends to the meeting so more people who knew how to play Quidditch would be there.

Of course it ended too soon for the children, but they hurried on to class anyway. The fourth years were pretty eager to get to class; the next class for them was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"The Professor is this old warrior dude or something" Rikku had told Kairi at lunch. "He's a real weirdo; he did these terrible spells during our class on these poor spiders!"

Kairi did not have a good feeling about that class.

0-0-0

_The night was cool and the breeze light. Her dress danced in the air, her hair fluttering about – but her heart was not so free. Standing on the balcony, Marina de Lane gazed off into the pale sky. Pain wracked her, terrible worry and sorrow._

_Tier and Cero hadn't been seen in days – a royal patrol had been sent to look for Tier, and at Marina's request, Cero as well. But no progress had been made._

_A soldier came up from behind Marina, standing at a distance, and bowed. _

_"I'm sorry ma'am, but there is still no sign of your cousin." He stated._

_"What of Cero?" She whispered, afraid of the answer._

_"Nothing, ma'am." The man took his leave._

_Marina watched as the day became night, as one more day passed with the boys gone. All of the city had been searched, and still nothing._

_Sighing, Marina turned to walk back into her room, when suddenly a young boy raced into the room and tumbled into the red head._

_"Oh – Myende?" She said, surprised. Marina helped the blonde to his feet. He was a young boy, younger than her, and he looked terribly frightened._

_"I know where Cero and Tier went!" Myende gasped, breathing hard. "But we have to hurry!"_

_"Why? Myende, what happened?" The girl insisted._

_Tears came to the boy's eyes, and he sniffled._

_"I – I think they're dead."_

0-0-0

**HELLO!**

**I am SO sorry for taking so long! Forgive me! I've just been so busy!**

**I went on a school field trip today! It was pretty cool; our ROTC class went out to the Seymour Johnson Air Base and looked at all the nifty killing machines. How wonderful…**

**This chapter leads in to a lot of fun stuff. I'm sad that the Hogwarts part is coming to an end! At least our last cliffhanger with Sora will be wrapped up, huh?**

**I hope you all are enjoying this; I feel like since High school I've fallen down on the job, writing less and writing poorly. Tell me if I do anything stupid! **

**Hoping you all have enjoyed this chapter,**

**SULHADAHNE**

**PS: Don't let the random little parts about Tier and Cero bother you. At the moment they don't affect anything in the story and are simply pieces I've put in to give you readers more background. It will be important. Keep an eye out!**


	19. Poor Demyx Part One

SO GOOD TO BE BACK

**SO GOOD TO BE BACK**

**Wow. Just wow.**

**It's summer. I have not had a summer in four years. Until this year, I was a year round student. Not only that, but I just finished taking eight end of the semester tests. That's what I get for taking doubled up classes like Paideia. .**

**Anyway… I'VE MISSED YOU! I've wanted to write, but I've been SOO TIRED… **

**Dead.**

**I went to my first anime convention! XD It was Animazement. So much fun… I want to go to Otakon now. We might be going. Hey, if any of you are going to Otakon, tell me, maybe we'll meet! **

**Well, time to get to the story. Needless to say, it's been too long, my friends!**

**0-0-0**

ONE WEEK LATER

(by that I mean after the last chapter)

There was a booth sitting in the middle of the tents and make shifts homes on the Hogwarts lawn. All it consisted of was a sign up sheet, and a big sign reading, "Competent Welcome". The two people sitting at the booth were arguing over that peculiar sign.

"That's not exactly the way to make everyone come together in unity, is it?" Kairi muttered with a grating tone.

"Guess not, but I'm afraid I am not playing with an idiot. Idiots in normal situations are bad enough." Larxene, a taller blonde, shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Now imagine an idiot on a broom."

"This isn't about you" The red head snarled. "We're trying to make peace, not insult everyone."

"Peace is insulting. We keep the sign." Larxene smiled, sitting up. "See, someone's already coming."

A young teen in a Hogwarts uniform was coming towards them from the crowd. Squinting, he looked up at the sign with a funny look, and then walked up.

"Hello!" Kairi smiled brightly, hoping to make him feel comfortable. "Are you here to sign up?"

"What are we signing up for?" A girl student had joined him.

"Reform Quidditch." Larxene stated. "A one team game of wit and skill. Jolly fun." Kairi shot the blonde a look.

"'Competent only'? What do you mean?"

Before Kairi could stop her Larxene opened her mouth again. "If you don't know, you might as well get out."

Needless to say the two students were long gone in a matter of seconds, and Kairi was fuming. "I need to replace you" She spat angrily.

"I'm the only one who's not in detention or doing homework. So you're stuck."

"Wait." Kairi quirked her eyebrow, anger fading. "Who all's in detention?"

Larxene grinned. "Do you really want to know?"

_Well… Only a day ago Axel ended up with a weeks worth of detention. Apparently he lost his temper again, with the same exact professor as usual…_

Deep beneath the school in the underground passages of the dungeon, a young red head was busy scrubbing cauldrons. His face was almost as red as his hair, as he continuously muttered under his breath. The door opened, and a slick haired man stepped in. He gave the teen one look, frowned deeply, and walked over.

"You missed a spot" The man stated, pointing at the cauldron. Then he lifted his hand, flicked his wand, and the cauldron was as dirty as when the teen started. "Try again"

As the professor sauntered away, cloak swishing, he left Axel scrubbing furiously, and cursing his name.

_Yuffie called the Astrology teacher something Cid would admire, so she's rather busy as well._

Very, very high above the school, far from Axel, the young ninja sat in the Astrology room, face contorted more in pain from the smell of the room itself than anger. The professor was sitting across from her at her desk, working. As Yuffie worked hard to scrub the crystal balls, the smell finally got to her and she heaved up her lunch.

The professor looked up indifferently. "Well, I suppose you should start that batch over again."

Gagging, Yuffie gave her the evil eye and was very tempted to use a spell on her…

_Let's see… Roxas and Namine are off somewhere, not to be found, Marluxia got in trouble with Prof. McGonagall, Rikku tried to steal something and got caught… everyone's busy some way or another._

Kairi looked perplexed. "What about Demyx?" She wondered. "What's he doing?"

Larxene made a face, and had a bit of nervous fear in her eyes. Both girls turned, slowly coming to look at the Forbidden Forest…

0-0-0

A blur of blondish color and a black form sped through the trees of the Forbidden Forest. During his training, Demyx had, if anything, gotten much faster.

He had to be faster to survive. His training through the past week or so had been serious intense… and majorly scary. Nowadays, his whole life was based on trying to survive the insane wraith of Zaraki Kenpachi.

As much as he appreciated Xigbar saving his life, Demyx still wondered WHY he had just HAD to ask the big, scary man to train him.

Speaking of the big scary man, Demyx yelped when he saw Kenpachi appear through the trees, rushing towards him like a raging river. He still had the same insane grin, and it still freaked Demyx out. It was then the boy saw a glint of silver in the corner of his eye, and he ducked and rolled – barely missing a dangerous blow. The edge of Kenpachi's sword just touched his precious mullet. _Killing the mullet would be worse than death! _Demyx hurriedly clasped his hands to his head.

Suddenly, he hit a root, tripped, and hit the ground head first. Groaning, Demyx felt his heart skip a beat when a large shadow came over him. _I'm in for it now…_

A very scary looking was in Kenpachi's eyes… er, eye. But it was different than usual. Where he would normally look like a hyena on steroids, Kenpachi's current scary look seemed angry, and very unhappy. Demyx did not want to be around an unhappy Kenpachi.

Slowly sitting up, the boy began backing away. His limbs were shaking as if he was having a bodily earthquake.

Kenpachi took a step towards him. "You're a coward. No; you're worse than a coward. You're more pathetic than anyone I've ever met."

That hurt Demyx, a little. Not enough to make him suicidal enough to talk back.

"No matter how many times I come at you, all you do is run off. You're a weak fool. You're not even worth my time."

"Then why don't you quit?" Demyx hoped desperately.

"Because I keep promises. No matter how much they suck ass."

Demyx's hope plummeted. _So much for that…_

Just as Demyx was sure he was about to be chopped into little musician pieces, voices came from nearby. They were foreign to him; he had no idea who they were. But Kenpachi lifted his head, and grunted. Demyx guess that meant he knew them. _This guy's nothing like Xigbar… well, maybe a little. _

Sitting up, Demyx rubbed his sore head and looked around to the voices. He went to stand, but Kenpachi smashed his giant palm against the kid's face, knocking him back down.

"We're not done yet. And don't try to run off."

(WOW that sounded SO perverted! Okay, I'm done now. XD)

"Ow ow ow ow!" Demyx muttered, rubbing his face. When he opened his eyes, the boy suddenly found he was very close to a small pink thing.

"WHOA!" Jumping back the teen hit his head again. A small giggle reached his ears.

"So this is the loser." Another voice said, certainly male.

"Not very beautiful. He's hair is nice." Someone else, seemingly male but not quite manly, said.

"He keeps running way. He won't fight."

"That's certainly not beautiful."

Taking a look around, Demyx gave a start. The three new arrivals were just as weird as Kenpachi. The pink thing he'd seen a moment ago was actually a short girl. He recognized her, vaguely, having seen her for a moment in the coffee shop on the fateful day he met his teacher. She wore a black robe and a badge on her arm. The reason he'd mistook her for something pink was because her hair was a girlish pink bob of sorts.

"Hello Mr. Spiky!" The girl chirped with a grin. "I'm Yachiru! Nice to meet ya!"

"Huh?" Demyx blinked. He looked up to Kenpachi.

"My vice captain from Seireitei. Lt. Kusajishi Yachiru." The girl waved as her name was given.

"Vice captain? Were you a captain of something?" Demyx wondered. He didn't even bother asking what Seireitei was.

"He really is a dipshit isn't he?" Demyx looked up to the other speaker.

The man was taller than him, but not by much, and had an amazingly shiny bald head. Something about his demeanor reminded Demyx of Xaldin; but of course, this man lacked hair, and Xaldin had MORE than enough. He had the same black clothes.

"This rude fellow is Madarame Ikkaku" The second male said. He looked very strange, and was dressed oddly too. "I am Ayasegawa Yumichika."

"Uh… nice to meet you, uh… Madarame, Ayasegawa." Demyx was praying he'd pronounced the names right. He went to stand, when a glare from Kenpachi warned him not too.

"We aren't done training." Kenpachi muttered.

"Actually, sir, it's getting dark. Prof. Dumbledore requested that you quit." Yumichika said in a chirping sort of voice. Kenpachi sighed heavily and muttered under his breath.

"Fine" He turned and walked off, sheathing his sword. Demyx stared in shock. Covered in mud and sweat, tired beyond belief, he could hardly believe he was alive.

The bald guy watched his superior go, and then looked down at the dork. "You comin, loser?" He turned and followed Kenpachi.

Standing Demyx shook the dirt out of his hair. "Coming where?" He was surprised by Yachiru who was suddenly perched on his shoulder.

"To eat, silly!" Yachiru grinned. She flipped over his shoulder and raced after Kenpachi. Lastly, the strange looking Yumichika shrugged, and followed after.

Demyx stood in the forest very confused. He was tired, and he was certainly hungry. So, ignoring his fears for the first time in a while, the boy raced after Kenpachi and his cohorts, stomach growling the whole way.

0-0-0

"So, any luck yet?"

Kairi collapsed onto the nearby sofa. "Luck? None whatsoever." She sighed and covered her head with a pillow.

She was sitting in the office room of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. Leon, at his desk, looked up and gave the girl an empathetic look. "Rough going huh?"

Kairi groaned and removed the pillow. "I don't know what's worse; having to work with Larxene, or working on my own. I have to write a _rule book_ for this." She looked at Leon. "This is not working the way I'd imagined."

"Life hardly ever does." Leon laughed a little. Standing up he turned to the young girl.

"What's the basic idea?" He asked.

She sat up. "Get people to come together. To know people they might otherwise hate." She sighed. "That was the basic plan…"

Leon smiled. "I meant game wise."

"Oh. Well… it's supposed to be the same as Quidditch, really. Score, catch the snitch… but I didn't want there to be opposite teams or team rivalry."

0-0-0

The tent that Kenpachi's group stayed in was the largest mass of tarps Demyx had ever seen.

The area might've been a mile wide and covered with at least 12 large tents and many smaller ones. All sorts of people were rushing around, each dressed in a black sort of Japanese thing; some with badges on their arms. A few had these extra white cloaks like Kenpachi, which Demyx thought must make them important. The system confused him.

"Come on, keep up!" Ikkaku called back, his bald head shining as a beacon for Demyx to follow. Being shoved and pushed through the crowd, Demyx followed his glittering globe the whole way.

It was getting dark, and the mood was changing from that of a work day to the relaxing mood of being with friends after a hard day's work. The bald beacon led Demyx to a large tent with a symbol by the door – a sort of cross with a line over it.

"Oh boy…" Demyx watched the four walk in, Kenpachi's big form soon shadowed by the roof. With a gulp and a sigh, the boy slowly stepped into the unknown.

**HALLO!**

**I meant to write more today, but my mom and I are headed to my brother's house. I wanted to post this, so I think I'll post this part, then write the next part over at his house. So, perhaps in a couple of hours you'll have the next part.**

**So glad to be back with you guys; so how've your lives been?**

**On her way out the door,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	20. Poor Demyx Part Two

Well… it's supposed to be the same as Quidditch…

**TWO LONG YEARS**

**Hey, I just looked at the calendar, and wouldn't you know? July 21****st**** is Axelerate's second anniversary. So, as a celebration, I will do something special… and you guys get to request. What do you want to celebrate with?**

**We could even have a big chat room conversation about KH… whatever you want!**

**I could draw fanart and post it for you guys… **

**A special chapter is certainly in order!**

**Whatever you want, I'll do it! And I'll try not to turn anything down. So, make your requests… and I'll be insane enough to accept them all.**

**EDIT: Last chapter there was a part about Leon and Kairi that ended abruptly. That wasn't supposed to happen. Sorry! I'll post it here again, and we'll start over. So pretend you didn't see it! **

0-0-0

"So, any luck yet?"

Kairi collapsed onto the nearby sofa. "Luck? None whatsoever." She sighed and covered her head with a pillow.

She was sitting in the office room of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. Leon, at his desk, looked up and gave the girl an empathetic look. "Rough going huh?"

Kairi groaned and removed the pillow. "I don't know what's worse; having to work with Larxene, or working on my own. I have to write a _rule book_ for this." She looked at Leon. "This is not working the way I'd imagined."

"Life hardly ever does." Leon laughed a little. Standing up he turned to the young girl.

"What's the basic idea?" He asked.

She sat up. "Get people to come together. To know people they might otherwise hate." She sighed. "That was the basic plan…"

Leon smiled. "I meant game wise."

"Oh. Well… it's supposed to be the same as Quidditch, really. Score, catch the snitch… but I didn't want there to be opposite teams or team rivalry."

Leon gave a snort. "That sounds plausible." He crossed his arms and smirked, emphasizing his sarcasm. The teen gave him a look.

Sighing, he stood. "Kid, some of these people just aren't going to get along. This isn't paradise. Some of these arguments go back thousands of years. Religion, race, politics… all of that… it will always be in the way."

"They got to see past that!" Kairi stood, frowning. "How can we have universal unity if people can't get along on their own planets?"

Glancing at the girl from the corner of his eye, Leon turned away. Brow furrowed, handsome lips in what seemed like a permanent frown, the leader stood motionless. It was like Kairi had silenced him somehow. Confused, the girl took a step towards him.

"Do you think you're the one to unite them?" Leon asked, still turned away.

The red head thought about it. She wanted to help… but there was no way SHE could unite all those people… she could come up with a plan. But she wasn't sure she wanted to enact it.

"Well, I…" She glanced away.

Leon turned to her. "Either you keep with this, or it won't happen." His words sounded less like a threat, and more like a true statement.

The girl looked up at him. Leon had his hands akimbo, waiting for an answer. Finally she nodded.

"I'll stay with it… promise." _I think I just sold my soul…_

Smiling, Leon stepped up and put his broad hand on the girl's tiny shoulder. "That's what I want to hear."

From across the tent, Larxene pushed the flap back and stepped in. "Girl, you've got some interested people wanting to talk to you." Kairi nodded.

Before the red head so much as took a step forward, Leon turned to Larxene and smirked. "Nymph, you can take the day off." Surprised, Kairi looked up at him. "I'll take your place."

A victory smirk came over Kairi's lips. _Yes! Yes, yes, yes!_

Larxene, with a smug smile on her lips, shrugged. As Leon and Kairi stepped out Larxene looked down at the girl.

"He'll scare more people than I do." She grinned.

Kairi figured that was probably true. But at least he wouldn't be scaring them on purpose.

0-0-0

Demyx was in a bit of a panic.

The tent that his teacher, the insane Kenpachi, had led him to was filled with people. Besides Kenpachi, Demyx, and their three companions, there were almost fifteen people in the room. Everyone was sitting on the floor, on cushions, eating from trays. All the food was oriental (which Demyx didn't really have a taste for, but said nothing in fear of the spiky headed maniac) and the clothing was the same as the other strangers; black uniforms, some with badges on the arm, and some with white cloaks over top.

"Hey, Kenpachi!" A man in a pink shawl waved. He looked older, and had long hair pulled back into a ponytail. Kenpachi grinned at him, walking in, and taking a seat on a cushion. Yachiru hopped off his shoulder and sat next to him, immediately diving into the pork buns on her plate.

"Who's the new kid?" A busty red head asked; she winked when Demyx looked up at her. _Remember Yuffie, remember Yuffie…_ the blonde was drooling a little bit.

He snapped out of it when Ikkaku smacked his shoulder. "This idiot is the taichou's trainee." The other people in the room seemed surprised, suddenly taking interesting in him.

"He's cute" The redhead smiled.

"He's a loser. And he's not very beautiful for it." Yumichika commented, sitting down. Ikkaku sat next to him, taking a big bit of something.

"Well?" He said between bites. "Ya gonna sit?"

Suddenly servants leapt from the shadows, preparing a seat and a plate for Demyx. A little overwhelmed, Demyx watched them skitter away, and then nervously joined the feast.

"So… where ya from, kid?" The man in the pink shawl asked. A young woman beside him, who looked intimidating to Demyx, spoke up before Demyx could answer.

"You didn't ask his name" She said.

"Oh! Silly me!" The man laughed.

"I'm Demyx" Demyx introduced himself. "And uh… who are you guys?"

"Kyouraku Shunsui" The pink shawl man said. "And this is my assistant captain, Nanao Ise. She might look deadly, but she's simply a misunderstood, beautiful flower!" The man cooed, leaping towards the woman. A book suddenly appeared in her hand and she smashed it against his face.

"Alrighty then…" Demyx muttered a little confused. "Kyouraku and Nanao, I can remember that…" Maybe…

"Don't refer to them that way." A short man in the back, with bleach white hair, suddenly spoke up. "Kyoraku-taichou is a captain and Nanao-fukutaichou is an assistant captain. You should refer to them as such."

"Oh, uh… sorry…"

"Don't let him scare you!" The buxom red head intervened, suddenly plopping on the white haired man's head. "He's just too uptight sometimes. I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, vice captain, and this is my captain Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"Nice to meet you." Demyx smiled. _Really nice… _

Matsumoto then moved from white haired Hitsugaya to another white haired man, nudging him. "Your turn, taichou!" She smiled. The man laughed. He looked pale and sickly, but his eyes had strength in them, and kindness.

"I am Ukitake Jushiro, squad thirteen's captain. And these are…"

"I am Ukitake-taichou's most loyal officer, his third seat, Kotsubaki Sentaro!" A dark haired man suddenly appeared, raging and ranting. Demyx gave a start, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "I would die for Ukitake-taichou! I am –"

"Wait a minute!" A short blonde woman suddenly shoved him aside. "I am Ukitake-taichou's most loyal officer, Kiyone Kotetsu, third seat!"

The man sat up, looking positively enraged. "Why you-"

"Silence! Both of you!" Nanao raged, looking ready to destroy them both. Suddenly very meek, both dashed back to their places beside Ukitake, bowing in reverence.

Ukitake laughed a little, looking up at Demyx with a shrug.

Demyx tried to laugh too. _That was _so_ weird…_

"Well, that's everybody-HEEY!" Matsumoto cut herself off, standing to greet whoever had just walked in. Demyx turned around.

The boy literally screeched this time, landing on his plate as he jumped back. "BIG GUY!" Startled, the "big guy" jumped back too, falling onto the tarp. This dragged the tent down on everyone in the room.

"AH!"

"DEMYX! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Ukitake-taichou! Are you all right!?"

"Ukitake-taichou! Are you all right!?"

"Oh! It's so dark! Perfect for romance, my little Nanao-cha-AAH!"

_**THUMP**_

"Ah! My hair! This is so not beautiful!"

Scrambling to move before Kenpachi found him in the dark, Demyx floundered about, until the tent was suddenly lifted off him.

The tent was floating in the air, suspended by a sudden burst of wind. Everyone was surprised by the sudden change, confused as to how it had happened. Demyx, for once, was the only one not confused. He stood, raced towards his savior, and ducked behind the broad shoulders of one Xaldin, Whirlwind Lancer.

Kenpachi sat up, enraged. "**I'm going to **_**KILL YOU**_!"

The man who'd been standing with the big guy looked shocked, and then gave Demyx a dirty look. Matsumoto had a confused, lopsided smile, watching as the big guy fought to stand, still wrapped up in the tent tarp. Everyone else came to a standing position, watching Xaldin and Kenpachi glare at each other.

"Give me a minute." Xaldin muttered. Demyx gave him a look.

The tall man turned to Demyx. "A letter" He handed it to him. Xaldin turned and used his wind to set the tent back up, covering the food and most of the people standing. Then, patting the boy on the shoulder, he walked off, leaving him to his bitter fate.

In mere moments Kenpachi was standing chest to head with Demyx, who was sweating bullets.

"You…" The man muttered.

"Kenpachi" A voice said. Demyx and said man turned to the speaker. It was the large man Demyx had scared (who had also scared Demyx). He had the white coat of a captain, and was immensely tall. Instead of having a human head one his shoulders, he had the head of a fox, and his entire body was covered in fur. Somehow, this did not scare Demyx. He did look surprised, but he luckily didn't scream again.

"Komamura" Kenpachi stated.

"Please forgive the boy. It was truly my fault. I should not have stood so near him." For being such a large creature he had a thoughtful voice.

Demyx felt a little bad. "I'm really sorry about that! You just took me by surprise." The fox man named Komamura seemed genuinely surprised at the kind smile on Demyx's face.

"It's just fine."

The other man who'd accompanied captain Komamura stepped up. He had dark hair and strange tattoos on his face, one of them being the number "69".

"Shall we eat, captain?" The man asked. Komamura nodded, and then turned to the boy.

"I am Captain Komamura Saijin, captain of squad 7, and this is Hisagi Shuhei, the vice captain of the ninth squad."

"I'm Demyx." The blonde waved. "Sorry again"

Kenpachi growled and hit the boy's back, shoving him forward. "Shut up, and let's eat already." The four began moving towards the tent.

Those inside were already settled and eating, speaking amongst one another.

"It's strange that the captain would let go of a fight so easily." Yumichika commented, watching Demyx and Kenpachi sit back down.

"Fighting such a weakling wouldn't be worth it anyway" Ikkaku muttered as he tore off part of his roll with his teeth.

"So, what did that man give you?" Matsumoto began curiously as Demyx began eating. The blonde had set the letter in his pocket. "Who was he?" Hitsugaya sent her a look, as if thinking she shouldn't ask, but he didn't say anything.

Swallowing the bite he'd had in his mouth, Demyx addressed her. "He's one of my… bosses, I guess you could say. The letter's probably from Xemnas, our lead man…"

"Lead man of what?" Hisagi asked, sipping tea.

"Wait…" Ukitake joined in on the conversation. "You wouldn't mean the Xemnas of the Organization XIII?"

The title of Demyx's group suddenly sent a wave of realization through the group. Everyone, from the most reserved to the most vocal, looked to Demyx for an answer. Only Kenpachi didn't seem interested.

Demyx chuckled nervously. "Yeah…" He shrugged. "That Xemnas, the leader of the Organization. That guy you just saw, Xaldin, and me; we're both members."

Demyx suddenly felt very shy. The room was suddenly filled with gasps, awe inspired looks, and respectful gazes, all looking at Demyx. Ikkaku looked surprised, looking Demyx over.

"A wimp like you is part of the Organization?"

Demyx laughed. "Yup. My full title is Number Nine, Demyx the Melodious Nocturne."

"That's so amazing!" Matsumoto gasped, her boobs jiggling lightly. "It must be interesting, being part of a criminal organization."

Demyx let out another nervous laugh. "Well, we're not really criminal… anymore, at least. We're just… a little odd."

"Sounds like us." Kyouraku commented with a chuckle. Ukitake laughed too.

"How come, if you're part of what was once a criminal organization, whose members were renowned for being powerful, why do you refuse to fight Kenpachi-taichou?" Hitsugaya muttered, and though he spoke quietly the implication of the sentence rang loud and clear.

"Taichou…" Matsumoto whispered.

"No, it's all right" Demyx laughed. With a small smile, he began.

"All of our members have… powers. You guys have heard the story about how we died…" Demyx began counting on his fingers. "Were reborn as nobodies, got killed by Sora, got resurrected, faded into light, and got brought back again?" Demyx looked at his hand.

"That's a lot of death." Yumichika added.

"Yeah… well, the last time, when the light took us, our powers weakened. Mine haven't come back." Demyx sighed.

"And what's that got to do with anything?" Kenpachi muttered his tone still dangerous.

"Well… I can't fight without my powers." The boy explained as a very bad feeling rose in his stomach.

"Like hell. All I use is my sword and my own strength, no powers. Having no powers is no excuse." The man seethed, giving Demyx a glare.

The boy shivered.

"Now, now, Kenpachi, training's over for the day!" Kyouraku smiled, giving thumbs up. "You can always beat that lesson into him tomorrow!"

Demyx felt his heart drop.

The night continued on, and though Demyx had said he was ready to go, Matsumoto wouldn't let him leave without having a drink. As time passed and the atmosphere lessened, Demyx found he wanted to stay. Even Kenpachi's dangerous aura was gone, as he drank and laughed with everyone else. Though at first the group had looked intimidating and weird, Demyx had come to like them.

"So, Demyx" Komamura began, pouring another cup. "Did you ever read your letter?"

"Oh!" The boy laughed, pulling it out of his pocket. "I should. Let's see…"

"What's it say?" Matsumoto asked an arm wrapped around Hisagi's shoulders. Her voice was a little wavy due to the alcohol.

Demyx unfolded it to see Xigbar's horrible scrawl. It was a short letter, and he read it quick silently.

"What's it say?" Ukitake wondered.

The boy's jaw dropped, and he gave a whoop. "Wow, I can't believe it!"

"What's it say? What's it say?" Yachiru cheered as happy as ever.

"It's from Xigbar, one of the other members. He's second in command, and a close friend of mine." Demyx grinned. "He writes…"

_Hey, kid,_

_Sorry to leave like this but I'm in a hurry. Paine came to me this afternoon, a pissed off look on her face, and beat me with that giant sword of hers. "You _…

Big fat meany", Demyx add libbed with a nervous look, not wanting to say the real word,

_You retarded old man, you got me pregnant!" she said to me. That's when I knew I was in love. So, I proposed to her, and now we're on our way to her homeland to get married. I didn't tell anybody but you and the Superior; Paine didn't want a big ceremony. Her exact words were, "If you let this out, I will personally make sure you can never get me pregnant again." So, small quiet wedding, nine months of hell, and I'm a married man._

_Wish me luck kid,_

_Freeshooter (I aim well…; D)_

0-0-0

The line at the sign up booth was doing much better since Larxene quit. Instead of receiving mouthy words or electrocution for their trouble, the curious people were actually signing up for tryouts. Kairi couldn't believe her luck! In only an hour, ten people had already signed up, and others said they were interested in watching the sport once it started. The red head was ready to dance in her seat.

"You look pleased with yourself" Leon said with a smirk.

"It's not me!" Kairi laughed. "You've been a major help!" She pulled out a box and brought out more flyers to hand out. One of the flyers fell from the box and went under the table.

"Glad I could be of service."

"Thanks for the help!" Kairi said as she moved under the table.

Finally reaching the piece of paper, she came out from under the desk and came face to face with a green haired girl.

"Is the sport sign up place?" The girl asked.

"Uh… yeah" Kairi muttered, surprised by the girl's sudden appearance. "Would you like to sign up?"

"Yeah, both of us would!" The girl grinned, reaching back to a tall man behind her, grabbing his wrist and dragging forward. The man winced, seemingly unhappy to be there.

Kairi hadn't noticed him until the girl pointed him out. He was a pale haired man, rather thin, dressed in armor. He was rather handsome, in a girly man sort of way. The girl with him was half his height, and had a pixie-ish sort of look to her.

"My name's Rydia" The green haired girl said. "And this is Cecil. We'd like to play!"

0-0-0

**A thousand million awesomeness points to whoever can figure out where those two are from.**

**Laughing evilly like a caffeinated squirrel,**

**SULHADAHNE**


	21. Kairi, Vixen, and the Writer are Sadists

The room was circular, lined with candles sitting on shelves against the wall

The room was circular, lined with candles sitting on shelves against the wall. Two tall statues looked down on them as they said their vows. She was in a short black dress, refuting white since it "wasn't her color"; and he was wearing an outfit similar to his old scientist apparel, but in black and white instead of purple. They were holding hands as an elderly follower of Yevon said to them,

"And do you, Xigbar… Xigbar?"

With a small smile, he nodded. "I do."

"And do you Paine… er, Paine?"

"Yeah." She whispered, and it had all the strength of devotion behind it. Xigbar grinned ear to ear.

The nervous old man took in a deep breath. "Then I pronounce you husband, and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Before Xigbar could do anything, Paine reached up and pulled him by the collar to her level. "I hope you know who's the husband." She said with a smirk. Xigbar could only laugh, until he was silenced by her pale, full lips.

And they were married.

**KINGDOM HEARTS**

**THE FALLEN KINGDOM**

**(is back)**

**FORGIVE ME!**

**I… I have no excuse. I could tell you what's been going on in my life; I could give many reasons for my lack of writing. But the one, real reason I haven't been writing? I lost my confidence, not just in my talent, but in my story as well. For a while this story sat in the back of my mind, gathering dust, as I second guessed my plot line and my characterization. I doubted myself – a lot.**

**BUT I have triumphantly returned! Fully repaired, and once again very over confident to the point of awkwardness! XD**

**Anyway, I sincerely am sorry for making you all wait, for all my stories, not just this one. (That is if you read all the others.) My plans here have changed, for the better I think. But you may have to bear with me; school has gotten busy. But I will update more, and I will write better! I swear!**

**So, enough dilly dallying. I think you've waited long enough for this chapter!**

**Really glad to be back,**

**SULHADAHNE**

**(oh, and that pic I was drawing? Don't even ask. If my confidence in my writing suffered, my confidence in my drawing died. I tore it up. TnT waaaah)**

0-0-0

It was breakfast time once again at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Kairi was sitting in the middle of the Gryffindors table, a book open in front of her. She was busy reading all about Quaffles and sports and other manly things, when two red headed twins ran up to bother her.

"So…" They said together. "Got any more nifty ideas for universal unity?" Fred asked her.

Frowning, Kairi glanced up. The twins were grinning. "I'm working on it. And I'll have you know I have a long list of people interested in trying out."

"Really?" They said in unison. "And how much do you want to bet half of em are half assed athletes, eh?" George asked.

"Two sickles?"

"Three galleons?"

"I could go for five if I win my bet with Axel."

"And what bet is that?" Kairi said slowly, getting rather irritated, as she continued to read despite them.

"Only that we can annoy the hell outta you. Axel figures you won't break if you can handle all of your weird friends."

George laughed. "But he's never had us to deal with, has he?"

"Never!"

Sighing, Kairi slammed the book shut, preparing to stalk off and read somewhere else. She wasn't very hungry anyway. Perhaps she could spend her time in the library. Sadly, the twins followed her.

"Speaking of Axel, why don't you go join him?" She asked as one twin came to walk on either side of her.

"Can't. He's in detention."

"Detention?" Kairi looked surprised. "At Breakfast?"

"Lunch, and dinner, yeah." Fred said from her right. "That bastard in the dungeon really doesn't like him. Kairi shook her head; she should've known Axel had gotten into more trouble with the Potions master. They were constantly at each other's throats.

As the girl headed up stairs past a few Ravenclaws, the twins followed diligently. At first she really was getting annoyed… until it occurred to her that she might as well use them if they were going to be around. "Well, if you're going to be with me, then help me." She stopped walking and turned to face them with a serious look.

"Help me design a new sport."

0-0-0

"It's impossible!"

They were sitting in the common room, waiting for the next period to start, Kairi on the sofa with her arms crossed, Fred leaning against the wall by the fireplace, and George leaning against the back of the sofa.

"It's pretentious really."

With a huff Kairi stood. "It's not impossible or pretentious! New things are created everyday! People are always improving on things."

"Not new sports." George said, just as Fred said, "Can't improve Quidditch."

Sighing Kairi collapsed back onto the couch. She looked at her watch. "Time for class. I'd better be going." She gathered her things and headed towards the door.

"Well, good luck with your mission!"

"Even though it won't happen!"

"We'll still cheer for you; we like underdogs!"

Kairi pretended that she didn't hear them.

0-0-0

Her next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, one she didn't truly enjoy. Kairi had defended against enough Dark Arts for a lifetime, and didn't like remembering it. It made her think of Sora, which she tried to do very little. She was missing him a lot.

As she thought, she didn't notice two of her friends sitting in the back of the room, waiting for class to start. At first, their mumblings didn't bother her. Then, as she listened better, she turned to see them.

Larxene and Axel were huddled in the back of the room, arguing quietly about something. But as soon as Kairi looked at them, they shut up, and moved towards their seats with a few last scathing glances. That was just as well since Prof. Moody had just walked into the room.

Kairi hadn't really grown to like Prof. Moody; he was too intimidating. Well, intimidating wasn't really what made her dislike him either, since Prof. McGonagall was rather intimidating too but Kairi liked her fine enough. Something about Moody… was off. She didn't know what. But whatever it was, he was still a cool teacher.

Of course… he could be rather creepy.

Class began and Kairi began spacing out. She kept glancing back at Axel, who was to her left, and Axel kept looking behind him towards where Larxene was.

Something was up.

0-0-0

The Triwizard Cup was open for business – and older students were putting in their names.

And most kids didn't want to play sports when the Tournament looked like more fun.

Kairi sighed and put her head in her hands. She was standing by the lake, the meeting place agreed on by everyone who'd signed up, but no one was there. Maybe they'd all received detentions. Maybe they all got lost. Maybe Kairi would stop lying to herself.

Maybe not.

She waited five minutes. She waited ten. Then finally, two people arrived.

A short green haired girl came running down the hill in a Hogwarts uniform, with a tale blonde male behind her dressed in a fancy outfit with a black coat. Rydia and Cecil, Kairi remembered. The girl had been very excited about it – the male, not so much.

"Hi!" Rydia grinned. "Kairi, right?"

"Yup" The red head smiled. Inside she cringed. _If these are the only two, I'm in trouble._

Others did show up in the next half hour. Thirty people had signed up for her sport – only six showed up.

"Is this even a team?" Kairi asked herself with a sigh.

"Depends on what sport you play."

Spinning around, Kairi saw another person walking up. "Oh, Harry!" She smiled. "Are you here for the team?"

"Um… no, actually." He said nervously. Kairi's heart dropped. "But I thought I could lend a hand. With learning it, at least."

She felt a little better. "I guess you do know a lot about Quidditch."

"I guess." He smirked.

Rolling her eyes, Kairi turned back to her team, looking them over with a huff. "Well… I guess we should all introduce ourselves." She looked to Rydia to begin.

The girl happily stepped up. "I'm Rydia, from the kingdom of Baron! And this is Cecil. He's a knight." Cecil shook his head sadly but didn't say a word.

(**Ding ding ding! They're from Final Fantasy IV! Everyone who guessed right gets a cookie!)**

Kairi looked at the next person. Even though she followed her line of sight towards where the persons head should have been, she was staring at the person's lower body instead. Slowly she looked up.

A very tall blonde stared down at her. "Uh, hi!" He grinned blushing.

"Uh… hi" Kairi blinked. The man laughed nervously.

Harry gave him a funny look, arms crossed. The man blinked. "Oh yeah!" He remembered. "My name is… VASH THE STAMPEDE!"

Kairi almost screamed from the sudden loudness. "What the…?" The man had his hands on his hips and was laughing manically. Everyone cringed, but he didn't notice.

"Yes, that's right! I'm the living legend! Don't be afraid, I won't harm you! My aim may be deadly, but only when it comes to a beautiful woman's heart!" He winked as little stars and bubbles floated around his head. His eyes were suddenly very blue, and his hand was resting under his chin.

"What the hell?" Kairi muttered vehemently. "Why did the freak have to show up?"

The blonde's happy mood died. "Awww, I'm not a freak!" He slumped.

Harry and Kairi shared a look. "If you're not a freak, then I'm a chimpanzee." Kairi glanced down the line to the speaker.

He was pretty tall too, with black hair, wearing the Hogwarts uniform. With one look Kairi could tell exactly what this guy was all about; attitude. He grinned at her. "The name's Yusuke Urameshi; don't forget it!"

_Oh boy…_

The next one was a girl wearing the Hogwarts uniform, standing close to a red headed boy wearing one as well. She smiled warmly and bowed.

"Hello! My name is Honda Tohru! I hope I can help!" She looked nervous. "I'm not very good at sports but I thought this might be a good way to meet people so I thought I'd try –"

"Calm down before you have a hernia." The red head told her. He didn't say his name. Everyone stared at him. He just frowned and said nothing. Yusuke crossed his arms and muttered. "Jeez, man, how stuck up can you get?" Kyo, red faced was about to respond, but Tohru beat him to it.

"Oh! Forgive me!" The girl, Tohru, said. "This is Sohma Kyo-san, my friend! He came to play as well!"

"I came to make sure you wouldn't kill yourself!" Kyo defended angrily. Tohru assumed he was angry at her and apologized. Kyo insisted he wasn't mad at her, which simply made Tohru freak out more. Kairi shook her head.

"This is a laughing stock. My idea is dead before it begins." She sighed resigned to her fate. Tohru looked sad.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Kyo calmed down, looking a little empathetic.

"Awww… and this looked like fun too." Rydia pouted. Cecil didn't look too put down.

Harry put his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "The Tournament has too much build up; you can't win." But he smiled. "Yet… I think you should keep this going. Right now isn't a good time for a universal sport, but it could be a very good thing for the future." He looked around at the group. "You could work on creating the rules and the game play for one."

Rydia grinned again. "That's more like it! Yay!"

Yusuke pouted. "Great. More paper work. Sorry, but I'm out." The others didn't look like they wanted to leave. Other than Yusuke, it seemed like everyone had shown up to meet people (or women cough, Vash) instead of play a game.

"In the meantime…" Harry began. Yusuke, who'd been leaving, paused. "I've got an idea for unity."

0-0-0

It was perfect.

Kairi was so happy she knew Harry at that moment that she could squeal.

"But I still think you should work on that sport too. It could catch on."

"Yeah, yeah, I will, but for now this is top priority!" She looked at her assembled team. Everyone looked a little up. Yusuke looked game. "If this gets approved, are you in?"

"Hell yeah!" Yusuke grinned. "I'll be the player!"

Tohru bowed. "I'll do my best to help!"

"And I'll keep you from killing yourself." Kyo mumbled with a small smile.

"Sounds great to me!" Vash grinned. In his head, he was very happy that adorable girls like Tohru and Rydia had joined the group; even the scarier looking Kairi was pretty.

Rydia looked over her shoulder to Cecil. He sighed. "Fine" The girl gave a cheer.

Kairi smiled. Maybe she would be able to unite the different worlds. It might work.

First, she'd have to talk to Dumbledore.

0-0-0

"Ow! Don't pull on that!"

Frowning, Demyx set Vixen down and touched his head. Yup. The kid had pulled out some of his mullet. Sighing, Demyx stole back the hair Vixen was happily chewing and pushed it onto his head. It fluttered to the ground. Even though the child surely could not understand Demyx's suffering, the boy still thought the baby was a sadist when she started giggling at him. The babies had grown fast; they could walk already. But they still couldn't talk.

_Little blessings_, Demyx thinks with a huff.

He was still sore from his daily training with Kenpachi, which was especially bad because of the day before when he'd made the tent fall and… well, he didn't like thinking about it. But he was sure tired.

Demyx glanced over to where Rin was asleep, sucking his thumb. Vixen started crawling towards her brother to wake him up. _Yup_, Demyx thought as he picked her up, _she's a sadist_.

"Demyx!" Yuffie came running into the tent. "Come here, you won't believe what Kairi's saying!"

Looking up, Demyx responded, "I'm babysitting! I can't leave!"

Groaning Yuffie ran forward and grabbed Rin, cradling him like Demyx was cradling Vixen, and then grabbed Demyx's wrist, dragging him behind her. They raced out of the tent and towards a large pavilion, where many, many people were gathered.

"The Professors of Beaxbaton, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts have approved our idea, and now we are moving full speed ahead with it. We know that whoever is chosen will be severely handicapped. Never before has a non wizard participated in the Triwizard Tournament."

Demyx slid to a halt and hit Yuffie's back when the ninja halted suddenly, standing at the back of the crowd. As he listened to his friend speak, he noticed a group of people standing behind her.

"What's going on?" he whispered to his girlfriend.

"Kairi's convinced the wizards to let one of us join in on the Tournament." Yuffie grinned. "I hope one of us gets picked!"

Demyx didn't care who was picked as long as it wasn't him. Vixen started chewing on his mullet again, and he had to fight her off.

"Our worlds, as a group, were going to be represented by one of the wizard students of Hogwarts. But, I and many others believe we should be represented by anyone – wizard or no. Because not all of us are wizards, and that's what this is all about. Diversity. The person who represents all of our worlds doesn't have to be any one thing, or from any world."

The baby frowned and bit his finger. Demyx yelped, then frowned back. The baby frowned deeper. Demyx frowned deeper. The compitetion was a losing battle for him, because even a frowning baby is cute. Yuffie elbowed him and he yelped again, making Vixen laugh.

"So, now I'm going to pick one of the many people you all have nominated in the last hour to be our Champion – you can see their names on the board behind me."

There were about fifty names on the board, all put up there by word of mouth; people calling out names for nomination. Since the Triwizard Cup only accepted wizards, the normal people's Champion would have to be chosen differently. Of course, if one had magic, they could enter their name into the cup. A person from a different world could become a Hogwarts Champion through the Cup if they had magic. And fire and lightning are types of magic, aren't they? Besides, the only member of the Organization whose name was on the board behind Kairi… was Demyx.

The blonde didn't know because he was fighting a baby. But if he found out, he could blame a certain pink haired Shinigami.

Kairi and the group of seven behind her huddled, speaking in low tones. Everyone waited for them to pick the Champion. Demyx was trying to keep his head away from Vixen, who had the reach of a gymnast. The baby pouted and finally grabbed the long strands at the back of his neck, and with a yelp Demyx felt his head being pulled back.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, grinning down at the sleeping boy. She didn't know how good she had it.

After a few minutes of deliberating, the group had only four candidates left. Then, there was one.

"We've decided." Kairi said proudly. "The first non wizard to enter the Triwizard Tournament will be…"

"That is mine, let it go!" Demyx growled, holding the girls pudgy fingers which had pieces of his hair. "I am not going to be cloned! Definitely not by a sadist baby!"

"… Demyx, of the World that Never Was!"

The boy's heart stopped. He glanced up. Had he heard right? Well, by the screams, the cheers, and the sudden attention he was getting, Demyx guessed he had.

"Well, what do you know?" Demyx muttered. "Kairi's a sadist too."

Then he fainted. And Vixen crawled out from under him and chewed on his mullet.


	22. Sora's Return

**MY COMPUTER WENT BOOM**

**I've been writing fanfiction like crazy, and for a while my computer's been broken. **

**Grr…**

**Ready to destroy this computer with a baseball bat,**

**SULHADAHNE**

**PS (We're back with Sora now. You might want to reread the last chapter that was about him, or you might miss stuff.)**

**0-0-0**

Once he broke free of his trance, Sora spun around, breathing heavily. Blue eyes wide in surprise and fear, Sora blocked out the memories, the images, of his first trip to Hallow Bastion.

As the other members of the group came to the cliff edge, they stared at the castle in amazement and awe. Only two realized what effect it was having on Sora; the vampire, and the vampire's master. Integra placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Sora?" The teen glanced up at her, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"This place…" He glanced back down. Realizing the boy was acting strange, the others became quiet. "It was destroyed. We rebuilt it. This place should be gone…"

"But I thought you said you rebuilt it." Ichigo said confused. Standing akimbo, he looked from the boy, to the castle and back. Now that he thought about it, something about the castle seemed off.

"Yeah… but this place was full of darkness… it was connected to the darkness. We got rid of the connection… but now, I feel it again." Sora's hand flew to his heart. He was in pain; the first time he'd been here, his own connection to the darkness had not been so strong. Now, not only did he have a heartless living within him, but he had a nobody as well. The pull of the Dark was strong.

"I don't understand." Ed said suddenly crossing his arms with a frown. "Okay – the place was destroyed. You rebuilt it. But you don't get why its here. Is that because this isn't its true location, or what?"

Sora knew he wasn't explaining it well, so he sighed and tried again – this time, with the long version.

"You all know about how the Heartless were created, and who created them, right?"

There were some mumbled agreements, but from the looks of things they only knew a little.

"Evil scientist went crazy, killed people; they came back as monsters, right?" Ed asked.

"That is not quite it." Gaara spoke softly. Sora agreed with him.

"Years ago, there was a place called Radiant Garden that was a utopia, a paradise. It was there that six scientists, the main one was Xehanort; they opened the door to darkness and let the Heartless free. The dark energy transformed the beautiful Garden into… well, this." He swung his arm behind him, allowing the group to look over the strange location that was the castle.

"Freaky". Ichigo mumbled.

"It feels as if it is dark, as if it has been bathed in blood." Alucard commented. "I can smell it distinctly."

"That's not creepy." The shorter blonde beside him muttered. Alucard simply smirked.

"Anyway… when we closed the Door to Darkness, this place disappeared; with all the dark energy gone it went back to being a normal planet. That's what I meant by 'it's not supposed to be here'. The darkness… should've been washed away."

"It's frightful…" Hinata murmured, moving towards the cliff. By looking at her eyes Sora saw she had activated her Byakugan. "It's like there are dense clouds of Darkness around the castle… even I can't look through it." In a flash her eyes went back to normal, but they seemed to be wide in fear.

"I don't like this." Sir Integra turned to Alucard. "What's the likelihood of a place that should no longer exist appearing right in our path?"

"And didn't Sora say something about hearing a voice?" Ichigo asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah! I ran this way because I heard someone calling my name."

Both Integra and Alucard realized the same thing at once. "We're being played. Someone brought us here."

"What should we do?" Hinata murmured.

The group turned to look to Sora.

"You know what's in there." Ed said. "Right?"

"Well… yeah. But I…" Sora grimaced. "Damn it. I really didn't want to see that place ever again."

"We must all make sacrifices for the team." Integra told him.

For a moment Sora's thoughts went back to the ship, where Kurama and Lupin were taking care of Riku. The sooner they learned what was going on, they better off everyone would be.

"Okay. Let's go." Sora told them. "I'll lead – but be careful. There are a lot of tough baddies in there."

"We can take em!" Ichigo proclaimed with a supportive grin.

"I can take em – without your help." Ed mumbled smugly. Ichigo's grin dropped, and he glowered at the shorter boy.

"Do I have to send you two to different sides of the island?" Integra fumed.

Shaking his head, Sora smiled a little.

Last time, he hadn't known what to expect: Donald and Goofy had, for a time left him; and Riku had been an enemy. This time, he knew what Hallow Bastion had to offer, and he had a large, powerful team. And Riku was depending on him.

"We can do this." He turned and waved the team on, before running ahead on a path that led down the ledge. "Come on!"

0-0-0

In a few minutes they were standing at the base of the cliff, within the Rising Falls. Most of the group was in awe at the strange sight, just as Sora had been when he first saw it. But now, it couldn't hold any joy for him. The sight of the Falls was nothing.

"Let's hurry; I want to get in, get out, and leave." Sora told them. Integra and Alucard followed right behind him, and Gaara behind them; the rest lagged behind for a moment, before running to catch up.

"The entrance is up here. Once everyone's on this level, we'll get on the elevator." Sora told those closest to him, as they stood near the elevator. Ichigo, Ed, and Hinata caught up quickly.

"One second." Ichigo said, stopping Sora before he could approach the elevator. "What are we looking for exactly? I mean, what's the objective here?"

It was a reasonable question. Sora backed up, looking at the castle, and everyone's eyes followed him. "Up there". He pointed to the tall tower in the center of the castle. "Last time, that was where the Door to Darkness was. I think that's where we need to go."

"But the Door was sealed, so it won't be there, correct?" Gaara murmured questioningly.

"This isn't supposed to be here either but… you could be right. Still that's got to be the right way to go." Sora took in a deep breath. "I died there."

"You d – died?" Hinata stammered.

The boy nodded. "Whoever was calling my name probably wants me. And I want to find them – the best place to find them would probably be the place where I died."

"I don't want to know your logic." Ed muttered. "You died – but you're still here!"

"Enough dawdling!" Integra suddenly declared, pushing the button for the elevator. "Let's move on. We'll get nowhere unless we move forward."

Everyone knew she was right, so for the moment, the questions were silenced. Still, Ed kept glancing towards Sora every so often as they rode the elevator to the top; and Hinata seemed to be even more nervous than usual.

0-0-0

_Quit while you can._

_**No. Not without Kairi.**_

_The darkness will destroy you._

_**You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart…**_

How haunting it was to walk through the desolate hallways again, the voices of the past echoing in Sora's ears. It was like the memory of a dream, or the dream of a memory… it seemed like it had all happened ages ago. Sora could hardly imagine being Riku's enemy anymore. But then, while it was happening, Sora could hardly believe it either.

"Come on, keep up." Integra told those lagging behind. Edward and Hinata were caught up in looking at the beautiful and haunting scenery, the castle which if it could speak would tell dozens of miserable stories.

"Somebody needs to invest in a new interior designer" Ichigo mumbled, hands in his pockets. "This place gives me the creeps."

"That's one way of putting it." Gaara murmured in response.

"Even the name is eerie. 'Hallow Bastion'. Eh." Edward shook his head, looking away from a gargoyle he'd been eyeing.

Eventually they came to a large circular room, with two stairways leading to a balcony above. Sora knew the room well; it was where Goofy and Donald had made the decision to stay with him and not with Riku. For once, the sight of the castle warmed his heart, and he paused for a moment.

"W-what's wrong?" Hinata whispered.

Sora smiled. "Nothing." He told her. "Just… remembering old friends." It had been a long time since he, Donald, and Goofy had gone on an adventure together. Maybe, if they had some time off eventually they could go exploring and battling again. Sora blinked, wide eyed suddenly.

Integra and Alucard slowed when they noticed Sora had stopped. "What is it, Key bearer?" Alucard's deep voice rumbled.

Sora rubbed his eyes, and looked at the center of the room. "Do you… do you see what I see?"

The members of the group turned to the center of the room, and were surprised and stunned to see… Sora.

But this Sora was shorter, dressed in red, and almost pale, see through. And across from him, standing by the fountain, was a silver haired boy in a dark costume. On either side of that boy was a duck with a staff, and a dog wielding a shield. Sora knew all three of them – Riku, Donald, and Goofy.

Suddenly the image of the younger Riku shot forward, shooting a beam of light directly at Sora. But before it could hit him, Goofy leapt out and blocked it with his shield.

"_Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" _Goofy told Riku, standing in front of his friend.

"_You'd betray your king?"_

"_Not on your life_!" Goofy quickly retorted. Then he looked back at Sora. "_But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together_." He gave a thumbs up as he finished.

Then he turned back to the duck standing across the way. "_See ya later Donald! Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry_?"

Donald responded, "_Hold on Goofy! We'll tell him together_!" He proceeded to run across the room to join his friends.

"_Well, you know…_" He mumbled. "_All for one and one for all_."

"_I guess you're stuck with us, Sora_."

The pale image then faded quickly, and the viewers turned to Sora. "That was… you?" Ichigo murmured, standing beside Sora.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, me from … almost three years ago."

"Pretty cool huh?" A female voice said.

The group tensed, and Sora summoned his keyblade. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I like that memory. It shows just how strong the bonds between people are." The girl sighed in a dreamy manner. "It makes me wish I had friends…"

Confused, Sora loosened his grip on his blade. "Are you the one that was calling me earlier?"

"Of course!"

In a flash of light a young girl appeared in the center of the room, dressed in odd clothing, looking almost like a spirit. She was just as pale and see-through as the illusions had been. Her hair was long and blonde, flowing behind her like a cape, and her eyes were translucent, almost empty… it was an eerie sight.

"Why?" Sora asked angrily. "Why bring us here? To Hallow Bastion?"

"Uh uh." She shook her hand reprimanding. "You of all people should know this isn't Hallow Bastion."

"It's … not?" Sora muttered.

Edward suddenly glanced at Hinata. "Hey, Hinata" She looked at him. "Try using that eye thing again." She nodded, activating her Byakugan.

She gasped. "S – she's right. There's a t – thick mist everywhere, c-creating an ill-illusion. I – I can't see through it."

"So this is not Hallow Bastion." Integra muttered, drawing her sword. She pointed it towards the girl. "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

"I want Sora." The girl said truthfully, flying towards Integra. Alucard immediately stepped towards his master in a protective manner. "Nobody else matters."

"Why is it always me!?" Sora groaned. Gaara chuckled behind him. It was then that Sora noticed Gaara was being protective as well; there were small grains of sand on the ground beneath them, which were trembling, as if ready to fly into action. No one trusted this strange little girl.

Stepping towards her, Sora spoke to her again. "What do you want with me?"

The girl slowly turned her head, looking over Sora intensely. "I'm… lonely."

The answered surprised the boy, and it showed on his face.

Floating towards the center of the room again, the girl spun in a circle. "I don't want to be alone. I look outside and I see everyone else isn't alone like me."

"Not everyone else." Ed muttered. The girl ignored him.

"I don't want to be here anymore. But I can't leave."

"Why not?" Sora moved towards her again, arms outstretched. "And where's here?"

"The first place, the _Naikoku_." She whispered. "You've been tricked into thinking that this is Hallow Bastion because the castle defends itself that way. It keeps outsiders from finding its treasures by creating illusions."

"Great, the castle's alive." Ichigo spat.

"And… why can't you leave?" Sora asked again.

The little girl turned to him, her eyes wide. "I've never left. Not in a million years…"

"Million!?" Sora jumped. His friends looked just as surprised.

"Are you a ghost or something?" Ed asked.

"Yes, she's a ghost." Ichigo told him.

"How do you know!?"

"Because I'm a Soul Reaper! We know ghosts when we see them!" Ichigo told them. For a moment the attention had been switched from the girl to him. "Right now we can all see her because she wants us to, but I can see ghosts all the time. Ever since I was a kid."

"Wow… cool." Sora murmured.

"You're a very old ghost living in a castle with some sort of treasure. Are you its guardian?" Integra asked. That seemed like a likely conclusion.

"I was here when the treasure was put here, but I'm not its guardian." The girl told them. "I could show you the treasure. If you want."

The group shared a look for a moment. "It might lead to a clue." Integra thought allowed.

"What do we have to lose?" Edward told them.

Sora's thoughts went back to Riku. "A lot, actually." He turned back to the girl.

"Show us the treasure… please."

0-0-0

She led them through the doorway, which years ago Sora had opened with four different key pieces found in the library. Even though he now knew it to be an illusion, it was still strange walking back through that door. The girl opened it with a flick of her wrist, no need to find the keys.

She led them to the place where the princesses had been held – where Sora and Riku had battled for the last time. Where he – where Sora had –

_Sora?_

The boy stopped walking, and Edward ran into his back, surprised.

"Roxas?" Sora whispered.

They were standing in the room where Roxas had been created – born? And even though it was just an illusion, it looked just like it… it was so similar…

_Sora are you all right?_

Somehow, dredging up all those emotions had alerted Roxas. "I'm fine." Sora said aloud.

"Who are you talking to!?" Edward demanded, standing up again.

"My nobody." Sora told him. "He's like my other half. I got a little sick, seeing this place again, and Roxas felt it." With renewed strength, Sora kept walking.

"This is the place! The greatest treasure in the castle!" The girl said, floating above the platform were Sora had found Kairi, unconscious. "You can't see it yet because of the illusion, but I can fix it." Immediately the girl closed her eyes and concentrated. She continued floating above the ground, thinking deeply.

Meanwhile Sir Integra pulled a cell phone out of her pocket, dialing a number.

"W-Who are you calling?" Hinata asked.

"Aimé." Integra told her. Sora immediately raced over.

"Is Riku all right?" He demanded. Sir Integra chuckled.

"She's not even on the phone yet."

After a moment someone picked up on the other end. "Uh, hello?"

"Aimé?" Sir Integra asked, and she continued speaking once she knew who it was. "How are the others?"

With a deep sigh Aimé consoled Sora's fears. "Riku's all right, just worse for the wear, and everyone else is tired." The boy gave a sigh of relief. "Where are you all now?"

Handing the phone to Sora, Integra allowed the eager boy to explain the situation. Once she'd been brought up to date, the group started asking questions. Everyone was standing around the phone, and Sora put it on speaker.

"So, what's this Naikoku 'first place' thing?" Ichigo asked bluntly.

Aimé gave a quick explanation. "It's what we've been looking for! Translated literally, 'Naikoku' means dead kingdom. And the first place is the title used to describe the fallen kingdom in all the texts I've read. We've found it!"

Confused, Edward scratched his chin. "But the kingdom in that video that the old scientist guy claimed was the fallen kingdom; wasn't it floating in the sky?"

"Yes, that is strange… but it is true that the kingdom can protect itself by hiding within illusions. That could have been an illusion as well. If we want to find out how the kingdom has to do with the return of the Heartless, you'll have to break the illusion."

"About that…" Alucard suddenly spoke. "Does it not seem odd that during our journey we have not been attacked by any Heartless whatsoever?"

Sora looked up. "You're right… we haven't seen a one!"

"Yes, I've thought of that. It's strange… it's almost as if they wanted us to reach the Kingdom…" Sighing into the phone, Aimé said, "You'll simply have to break the illusion to solve this mystery."

The group turned towards the floating ghost girl who was concentrating so hard only a few feet away from them. "I think that's covered." Sora mumbled.

At that moment the girl opened her eyes and turned to them. "The illusion's gone. Here's the treasure!"

"I don't see a difference." Ichigo said.

"L-look closer." Hinata whispered her eyes wide in surprise.

Sir Integra and Alucard seemed to see it too. The vampire was smirking, and Sir Integra looked slightly shocked.

"What? What is it?" Sora asked his friends.

The ghostly girl floated right up to his face, smiling. It surprised him and he leapt back, hitting Gaara. The red head rolled his eyes.

"Look for yourself." The ghost girl said, and with a giggle she was gone.

Confused, Sora looked at the room again. This time, he saw it.

It was not the room with the Door to Darkness where Riku and Sora had fought for the final time before closing the Door. It wasn't a part of Hallow Bastion at all.

The ceiling almost seemed miles high, domed like a church roof, made of a strange, shimmering blue stone. It was old, yet still sparkled with life. The room was large, with an old, black carpet rug leading from the door to a throne which stood in the center of the room.

Amazing, broad mosaic windows covered the walls, illustrating the history of a forgotten time. Transfixed, Hinata approached it, her fingers tracing the lines of the glass tiles.

The first picture was of a city floating in the sky above of a sea of stars. The second was of a sunrise, and seven women standing on a beach. The third on the right wall was of a coat of arms… which looked identical to the Heartless symbol.

The same three pictures were displayed across the way, on the other wall. And behind the throne was a giant window which took up almost the entire back wall. It was a picture of what looked like a royal family.

There was a tall, august man with light brown hair, a defined chin, and brilliant blue eyes. Beside him, sitting was a soft face red haired woman with a petite nose. They had one young girl standing between them, a rosy cheeked red head, with her father's eyes.

"What a giant piece of artwork… mosaics this size… can you imagine what it must have taken?" Integra murmured, entranced.

"Perhaps this really was a society of genius scientists." Edward muttered, looking over the throne. It seemed to be made of a beautiful blue crystal, which reflected all sorts of colors in the sunlight. A small black cushion was on the seat of the chair. And on this cushion rested a crown.

"Whoa… look." Ed approached it immediately, calling it to the others attention. Sora turned around, looking at the little thing with awe.

It was made of pure crystal, and shimmering with every sunbeam. It was tiny, almost like it was made for a child, and unlike everything else in the castle the passage of time seemed not to affect it. It looked brand new.

"That's b-beautiful…" Hinata whispered, her eyes drawn away from the mosaics.

"I wonder whose it was." Sora murmured as he approached it.

"It's tiny." Ichigo reached out to touch it, but he didn't for some reason.

"Hello? Hello?"

Aimé was still on the line. Surprised, Sora put the phone back to his ear. "Oh, hey, you're right, the illusion broke and we're in the castle, its huge!"

Laughing, Aimé responded. "I knew it. Call as soon as you know anything or if you need help. I'll send anyone you need. Be careful, okay?"

Sora nodded though she couldn't see. "We'll be fine." They said their goodbyes and Sora hung up.

"So… now what?" Alucard muttered, hands in his pockets.

"We explore." Integra told him.

"W-what about the girl?" Hinata murmured. Everyone remembered the strange ghost. "Didn't s-she say there was t-treasure?"

Sora looked down at the crystal crown. "Well… this is certainly worth something…" Delicately, he reached out to touch it.

Alucard's eyes widened suddenly. "Sora! NO!"

It was too late – the boy's fingers fell upon the crystal, and all at once a gale erupted in the room, a deafening storm which came from nowhere and bombarded the group. Shouting in fear and surprise everyone was blown back, hitting their backs hard against the tile floor. Everyone except Sora.

The teen was transfixed, eyes wide, his fingers stuck like glue on the crown's edge. Gaara sat up, realizing the danger. "Sora! Sora!"

Slowly, as if he were in a trance, Sora moaned. His eyes rolled back until he closed them and his limp body fell against the throne in a heap. He slid down to his knees, and it almost looked like he was simply asleep. The winds didn't bother him at all.

"What's happening!?" Ichigo shouted, summoning his sword. Ed was kneeling, his metal arm blocking his face.

"It's a spell! The crown is protecting itself!" Alucard told them.

"What's it – AH!!"

Before anyone else could speak, or respond, a brilliant light exploded from the crown, blowing them all back. This blast took them from the room, through space, out into the universe for millions of miles across the stars… they were separated, scattered, thrown like pebbles across the surface of the universal pond.

Alucard held his master tight to him even as they spiraled out of control, flying through a world of blistering winds, mighty monsters, and desert sands.

Ichigo was blown back against Edward, and the two flew through the sky towards a world of magic creatures and mystic legends.

Just as Hinata was thrown back, Gaara's sand saved her, and the two were transported to a familiar world of monsters and materia…

And as all this occurred, Sora's body lay limp against the thrown. His hand released the crown, and it tumbled to the ground, rolling across the floor before coming to a stop in front of the window. Someone step up to it.

"It worked…" The ghostly girl whispered with a giggle. "It worked…" She giggled louder. Picking up the crown, she raced to the thrown, setting the item down gently where it had been. Then she kneeled by Sora, tracing his cheek with her hand.

"Don't worry…" She whispered. "No one will get you this time… you'll stay with me and keep me company…" She leaned towards him, putting her head on his shoulder.

"You'll always be with me, right, big brother?"

0-0-0

Something woke up in the basement just as Sora went to sleep.

Its yellow eyes grew wide and bright, its teeth filled mouth grinning menacingly.

_**I'm me.**_ It whispered, looking at its hands. _**I'm just me.**_

Its grin grew wider. Around it, other beings like it rose from the shadows, yellow eyes dancing in the dark. The creature looked over them with a proud snarl.

_**Its time now…**_ it whispered. _**Time to bring it back to where it all began…**_


	23. Different Worlds

Integra awoke with grains of sand in her eyes.

At first, she thought Gaara might've been the culprit. But it was quickly easy to tell that the ninja was nowhere to be found. In fact, no one was near her. Integra was alone, lying face down on a sand dune, in the middle of a sprawling desert.

Groaning, the woman sat up, her hair falling off her back and spilling sand back onto the desert floor. She was covered in sand, which was the fault of the blistering winds that kept blasting her back. Closing her eyes, Integra took her jacket off and pulled it over her head to protect her vision.

She was standing in the middle of a sandstorm.

What had happened? Only a moment ago she'd been in the castle… _the castle_.

Sora touching the crown, Alucard shouting, everyone being blown back, and then… Integra awoke and found herself here.

But she did remember Alucard holding her, protecting her from the blast. Was he nearby? It was impossible to tell. The sand could've buried him, if he was asleep like she. It was a surprise she hadn't been buried alive.

Then she saw it, out of the corner of her eye: the edge of a red coat. Fighting her way through the winds, Integra stumbled towards it, reaching out to it. She brushed the sand back with one hand, holding her jacket over her head with the other. After a moment she found his boot, then more of his leg. Then another strong wind buffeted her, and she fell to the ground, losing her jacket to the sky.

"Dammit!" She cursed then shut her mouth to keep sand out of it. Hurriedly she set to digging her servant out, but she quickly found it was tedious, repetitive work. The wind wasn't helping. Finally, she dug his lower half free and pulled him out, cradling him against her.

Now what?

Pulling Alucard's jacket off, she put it over her head and looked around. All she could see was sand. There was no clue to where she was, or of which way to go. There was nothing…

The wind started to moan, blowing faster, and Integra ducked her head over Alucard's body. She had no idea what to do and it seemed unlikely Alucard was going to wake up anytime soon. The moaning was getting louder…

Integra blinked, confused. The moaning was getting closer, not louder…

Glancing up from under Alucard's cloak, Integra saw something moving closer. Something very, very large.

It looked like a dinosaur, but large, with a barbed tail and a jaw full of nasty teeth. And it was looking at her.

"A wonderful moment for a nap, count." Integra muttered vehemently before drawing her sword and standing, letting Alucard's jacket drape over the unconscious man.

The monstrous creature roared, shaking the rocks around him. The wind kept blowing but somehow it didn't affect the creature… it seemed like the dinosaur had the upper hand on all counts.

But Sir Integra Hellsing would fight until the bitter end. It moved closer, and she held her place. Then, just as its foul smelling mouth opened wide and moved towards her, someone shoved her out of the way.

"Move it! Don't just let it eat you!" A young teenager's voice shouted over the wind.

Integra sat up, trying to look at the person, but could only hear them. She other voices next.

"That was a rude comment and a very rude way to treat a lady. You won't be the leading man for long if you act like that." An older male voice said, standing on the other side of the creature. "Then again… perhaps you simply won't end up with the leading lady."

"That was always your area of expertise, right?" A female voice said with a chuckle.

"Of course." The man laughed.

"There's someone else over here unconscious!" A younger female cried out. Of course she meant Alucard.

"Get him out of harm's way; we'll deal with the Wyrm." A deep, male voice rumbled.

Wyrm? Integra knew that was the dinosaur creature, and was instantly grateful she wasn't fighting alone. She stood, still brandishing her sword, and moved towards it.

One of her rescuers standing nearby glanced at her. "That sword won't cut the Wyrm's flesh." A mysterious feminine voice said.

"You're obviously not from around these parts. Why don't you let us handle this one?" The male voice from earlier commented. Integra was reluctant to back down, but she knew when she had to. She did not sheath her sword, but she did stand back.

"All right!" The younger male voice cheered. "Bring it on!"

A shot rang out and the monster roared, and the sounds of battle filled the air. The squelch of steel stabbing flesh, of a person being tossed like a feather into the sand, the roar of a battle cry all echoed nearby. The monster's giant tail whizzed by Integra's head, and she leapt away just as it went past. It smashed into a rock and blew it to pieces.

"Nice moves." The young male said. He was closer now, only a few feet away. Integra could see he was slightly shorter than her, with a strong build, and ash blonde hair. His clothing was odd, metallic even… she certainly was not on any world she recognized. "Just hang back and we'll get this guy." Then he ran back into the fight.

Across the way, Integra saw a young woman kneeling by Alucard, and she quickly moved towards them. The woman was half her height, wearing a skin tight blue suit and brown boots. Her hair was also an ashy blonde, and pulled into two side ponytails. She glanced up and smiled as Integra moved closer.

"Your friend is out cold but he has no external injuries… what happened?" The teen asked.

How to explain universal travel and the effect it has on a vampire? That was not going to be a fun question to answer.

"A long story, one I'd rather not tell twice."

The blonde blinked and looked at Integra again. "Are you… Arcadian?"

Integra was now confused. "I've never heard of it."

"Oh… well, then you certainly aren't from around here. Arcadia's… famous in this area." The blonde teen frowned. "I'm Penelo. Nice to meet you."

"Sir Integra Hellsing." Integra told her.

"Sir?" Penelo asked. Integra nodded.

Another roar shot off, and then the thunderous boom of the monster's carcass hitting the sandy ground shook the area. Integra and Penelo looked towards the battle.

"Let's go. If we head that way, we'll escape the sandstorm."

Those words were music to Integra's ears. She helped Penelo carry Alucard, and then followed the blonde's friends out of the desert canyon.

0-0-0

Gaara woke quickly once he and Hinata reappeared on some faraway world, as he was not allowed to sleep at all. Naturally, he woke at once, before the demon could take over him. The small girl beside him was still sound asleep, curled into a ball.

Confused, the ninja stood. What had happened? What was that crystal crown? An image of Sora, grinning and laughing, came to his mind. He shook it off. The boy could take care of himself. It was now his mission to care for Hinata, and to get both of them back to the strange island... if possible. And soon.

Beside him, Hinata squirmed and moaned. She sat up, wiping her eyes.

"W-where are w-we?" She whispered. Noticing her companion, she stood beside him.

"I don't know." Gaara muttered. He glanced around.

The two were standing in a ruin. All around them were the remains of what must have once been a city. A large structure stood on beams above them, but had fallen apart. It was as if the area had once been covered by a giant plate which had fallen apart. The land was abandoned. A small playground, covered in dirt and dust, was at once corner. A bus, half destroyed, lay on its side a little further away. Flowers grew from the barren ground, and birds flew above. It was a depressing sight.

"What h-happened here?" Hinata wondered, gasping. Her hand flew to her mouth. Gaara glanced up at the overhead structure, narrowing his eyes.

"We need to find people."

"P-people? Here?"

Gaara started moving forward. Hinata stared after him as he spoke. "We need to find out where we are."

The girl nodded, understanding. "R-right." She hurried after him, carefully wandering through the wasteland.

They kept walking, and passed by a large area of destruction. On the other side of the large barrier which had held up a giant plate once, was another plate, which had collapsed totally, destroying everything under it. Nearby was an entryway which had caved in.

In front of the caved entryway were flowers. As they passed, Hinata slowed down, glancing at them. Though it simply could have been the wind, the flowers looked like they had been placed their in mourning. Like a grave. Hinata had the feeling that was true.

She glanced ahead and saw Gaara pause, looking back at her, waiting. Quickly, the girl turned towards the grave, and bowed reverently. Then she turned to Gaara and hurried on her way.

0-0-0

For the longest time the only signs of life in the place were wild animals and flowers. But in the distance was smoke, and Gaara knew that fire meant life. He and Hinata passed the time in silence, one being stoic, the other being shy.

Eventually they found life in abundance. A city was built around the ruined land, and it was full of people.

Both ninjas seemed very out of place in the city. And both, though they needed to find out where they were, did not have good people skills. Most of the citizens they attempted to talk to were scared off by Gaara's demeanor. In the end Hinata had to overcome her shyness and speak up.

A tall, muscular black man walked hand in hand with a young girl in a pale dress. Nervous, Hinata approached them.

"E-excuse me?"

At first the man didn't hear, but the girl did. She pulled at his hand and walked towards Hinata.

"Huh? Marlene? What-?" The man looked up and saw Hinata.

The girl named Marlene smiled. "Hello!"

A little less nervous, Hinata nodded. She felt better when Gaara walked up behind her. "Hello. Um, where are we?"

"You foreigners?" The man asked. "This is Edge."

Gaara spoke up.

"And on what planet is that?"

0-0-0

Ichigo and Ed were traveling quietly through a forest. Unlike Gaara and Hinata, their quiet was not from stoicism or shyness... but mere hardheadedness.

Pouting, Ed frowned deeply, glancing at Ichigo. Ichigo wouldn't look at him, his face twisted into an irritated grimace.

Finally Ed muttered, "You got us lost."

The orange haired teen turned and shouted at him. "I did not! You don't know the way either!"

Ed retorted loudly. "But I still didn't get us lost!"

Both sneered, growling loudly. Something in the forest around them made a similar noise, and both boys jumped.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..." Ichigo muttered, summoning his sword Zangetsu.

Ed scoffed angrily. "Wow! You're quick! I could have told you that an hour ago! And what the hell is Kansas!? And I'm not Toto!"

"It was a joke you uptight bastard!" Snarling at one another, both teens forgot about the creatures in the forest. They were attacked from behind whilst shouting at one another, but being rather adept at fighting, they managed to defeat the foreign creatures, all the while still arguing.

Oh, the obstinacy.

0-0-0

Sora was still asleep.

His body was crumpled beneath the throne, and he slept peacefully, for the moment. His ghostly guardian was humming happily, sitting on the throne. Her legs were over the side, so she wouldn't touch Sora, and for a while she patiently awaited his waking. But it was taking too long. The crown had taken a lot out of Sora.

So, the ghost decided to get into his dreams.

0-0-0

The boy in his dream looked just like him. In a normal situation Sora would think it was him, but he knew it wasn't. Somehow, Sora was dreaming of someone else's memories.

The boy was his height, and had hair like his, but it spiked differently, and two large pieces framed his face on the side. It was a lighter color too. The boys clothes were strange to say the least. Sora realized he had to be dreaming about the ancient society of the Fallen Kingdom.

Many scientists would kill for such a chance, but Sora was more concerned with the waking world. How had he fallen asleep again? For his life, he couldn't remember.

The boy that looked like him was running down a fancy hallway with a grin on his face. Ahead stood two giant guards with spears, but they were waved aside by a young girl who stood beside them.

And gods, if she didn't look like Kairi...

The Sora look alike slid to a halt in front of her. "Hey, Marina."

The Princess smiled. "Hello, Sir Cero."

The boy seemed elated to hear her say his name, let alone add "Sir" to it. Sora grinned. His look alike had it bad; love, that is.

Which made him think of Kairi. His heart hurt, and he frowned.

"Why are you hurting?" A female voice suddenly asked him.

Sora jumped with a yelp. The girl giggled. It was the same ghost from before.

A memory returned to Sora: traveling with his friends into the castle, meeting the ghost, going into the throne room... then what? Suspicious, Sora looked the ghost over.

"Who are you?"

The ghost just giggled. "I'm your sister! Remember?"

Sora thought about it. He knew he had a sister... but wasn't his sister alive? Somehow he just couldn't remember... why?

"My head's so foggy... what's going on? Gimme some answers here!" The boy demanded.

"When you wake up you'll remember." The girl insisted.

"Then wake me up." Sora demanded of her, but the girl frowned.

"If you stay here you can learn a lot!" Sora looked at her funny, and she kept going. "You know! Secret, important things. Like..."

She smirked like she held a secret in her hands, and Sora had a bad feeling.

"Want to know how the Keyblade was created?"

0-0-0

After a while wandering through the sand storm almost blind, Integra and her new friends finally were free of the bad weather. They were still in a devastatingly hot desert, but at least Integra could see and wouldn't get anymore sand in places she didnt' think sand could get. Damn Alucard for being comfortably asleep the whole time.

Once out of the storm, Integra was able to get a better look at her comrades. After a little battling with some nearby monsters, the group settled behind a rock outcropping, the sun began to set, and Integra introduced herself.

"Sir Integra Hellsing. My friend Alucard and I were transported to this world by a spell, though I'm not sure how."

The young blonde male gawked. "From another world?" Penelo, beside him, hit his arm lightly.

"Don't stare at her." Still, the boy seemed absolutely amazed. Integra chuckled.

"Let us introduce ourselves." The suave brunette said. "I am Balthier, and this is my partner in pirating, Fran." he motioned to the tall woman next to him, clad scantily in black armor, with rabbit ears on her head. The woman nodded to Integra.

"Pirating?" Intregra wondered.

"Yeah. They're sky pirates!" The blonde kid said, and the way he said it made it sound like the best thin in the world. "I'm Vaan, and I'll be a pirate too... soon."

Penelo rolled her eyes at Vaan. "You know me." She smiled. "I'm the healer of the group. "

Alucard was nearby, lying on the ground on top of a blanket.

The introductions continued. "I am Basch fon Ronsenburg." The tall male blonde said.

"Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, but friends know me as Ashe." The brownish haired woman introduced herself. She had a regal bearing.

"Where are we?" Integra asked then, almost afraid of the answer.

"The Westersand, outside of Rabanastre." Basch told her.

The woman attempted to ask the next question as nonchalantly as she could, but it didn't really work. "On what planet is that?"

"Ivalice." Balthier told her. "Welcome."

"Thank you." Sighing, Integra wiped her brow. How in the world was she going to get back to Sora and the others. This was troublesome... then she glanced at Alucard. What was she going to do about him? For a moment, she had a brief worry; Alucard had always been strong, but what if... what if he had been hurt?

Hiding her fears, Integra made herself think of something else.

"So what now?" Vaan asked.

"I must find a way back, and quickly." She knew that Kingdom Hearts had to be found, and soon. And who knew what had happened to the others? She had to find them.

"Well, if its an airship you're looking for," Balthier began. "Then we're to Rabanastre."

"But we just left!" Vaan sighed. Penelo and Basch both gave him a look. He shut up.

"This Rabanastre will have a ship?"

"Yeah, its airships galore there." Vaan told her. "You won't have trouble. Though you're gonna need some money..."

"We'll help her." Ashe told him. "She's a stranger here."

Meanwhile, Penelo moved to Alucard again. As she looked him over she frowned in worry. There seemed to be no problem, but he still wouldn't wake up. Maybe a cure spell would help...

Summoning the magic, Penelo made to heal him... but then a sudden cry rang out.

"Alucard!" Integra, shocked, rushed to her companion, who was screaming in pain. Penelo ended the spell quickly, realizing something.

"Your friend... he's been made into a zombie..." Penelo moved to take out an item to change him back, but Integra stopped him.

"No. He is what he is." Integra stared her down until Penelo backed off. The others of the group looked stunned, even a little frightened of Alucard, and he wasn't even awake.

"Don't ask questions. Take me to Rabanastre, and I'll handle the rest." Integra told them. She didn't care if they alienated her and Alucard for what he was. She had a job to do.

Balthier chuckled suddenly, surprising the woman.

"Didn't we say we'd pay your fare? I don't know about the others, but I'm a man of my word." He smirked at her. Fran chuckled too.

Integra smiled, feeling a little better. At least some of the group weren't scared.

0-0-0

Ichigo and Edward were sharing a jail cell.

"What the hell is this?" Ichigo spat, holding his head in his hands.

"This is all your fault. You're the one who walked up to the cop and asked for directions."

"I didn't know she'd arrest me!" Ichigo spat.

"You were covered in blood!"

Standing, Ichigo glared at Edward. "The damn things attacked us! Why can't we defend ourselves!"

"Well, apparently its illegal to kill the damn things! You still shouldn't have talked to the cop!" Edward spat.

Ichigo huffed angrily and crossed his arms. "What the hell's a Pokemon anyway!?"

0-0-0

**Sulhadahne had so much fun writing this.**

**XD**

**And I apologize for the horrible cliffy with the whole "keyblade" thing. Don't worry, we'll get to it really soon.**

**SULHADAHNE**

**PS. Would you guys rather me update often with short chapters or every so often with long chapters?**


	24. Full Moon

"The... the keyblade?" Sora gawked, unsure if he'd heard what he thought he had.

The girl smiled.

"This dream shows the Forgotten City's memories. It knows everything. Maybe you'll see." She smiled beguilingly.

The teen looked her over, confused, and intrigued. "... who are you?"

Giggling, she flew into his arms, and wrapped her arms around him. Sora was stunned.

"I'm your little sister!" She laughed. Then she quieted.

"... and I'll never be alone again."

0-0-0

AT HOGWARTS

"What's going on?"

Leon, standing in his tent, was faced by Cid, Aerith, Rinoa, and many members of the Organization.

The leader looked shell shocked. "We're not sure." Biting his lip, Leon looked more worried than he ever had. "We just got a call from Aime."

"What about?" Cid broke the nervous silence with a slight frown on his face.

Leon dropped the bomb on them. "More than half the crew is missing, and Sora's among them."

"Shit!" The blonde cursed, and those around him seemed to share his sentiments.

"What happened?" Aerith whispered.

"Still not sure. Half the crew was on the ship still, the other half was exploring the island. The group that was on the island was attacked by a spell. Apparently it sent them off into the universe somewhere."

"So, they could be fucking anywhere?" Cid cursed again. His leader sighed and sat at his desk, head in his hands.

"Yes. Anywhere."

For a moment the group was quiet. "Now what?" Rinoa whispered.

Leon looked up at his beloved, his eyes softening. "There's not much we can do, but hope that those left will find Kingdom Hearts... before its too late.

0-0-0

A terrible pain cut through him as he sat up for the first time in days. Shaking his head, Riku glanced around.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Aime smiled kindly, sitting beside his bed. Groaning, the boy rubbed his arm.

"What happened?" Aime explained the ship wreck, the split up, and then the disappearance of half the crew. "Sounds like everything was blown to hell..." Riku sighed.

"That's about right." Lupin walked into the room, looking very tired and ragged. The look in his eyes was very grave. "But we have another problem."

The Captain knew what he meant by the look in his eye. "This isn't good."

0-0-0

Though the solution was simple, Riku still felt bad about what he was doing. Yet he knew it was the only choice.

Lupin stood on the beach, looking up at the crew.

"Return for me in the morning. I'll be fine, just tired." He explained. Nodding, Riku moved back up the gangplank, and into the ship. Miroku and Abel pulled the plank up, and then the ship started to move.

"How's it moving?" Tifa wondered, standing by the bow. Vincent was beside her. He nodded towards a nearby red head. Kurama was standing with his eyes closed.

"He planted seeds beneath us, and is using the vines to move the ship out to sea." As Vincent explained, Tifa's eyes wandered back to the shore.

"What about him?" She wondered sadly.

Vincent frowned. "I don't know." They both shared worried glances.

Only Riku knew the secret of why, for this one night, Prof. Lupin had to be left on his own.

It was for the best.

0-0-0

Sora was still asleep, watching the memories. The ghostly girl had long since left him alone, wandering off somewhere. For someone afraid of being on her own, she sure didn't mind leaving Sora alone. Perhaps she wasn't afraid that he might escape.

But Sora knew he had too. He had to find Kingdom Hearts... but first he planned on using the "dream memories" to his advantage.

Perhaps the secrets of the Fallen Kingdom would show where Kingdom Hearts was hidden now... and how to rid the universe of the Heartless once and for all.

Which was funny to him, since he really hadn't seen much Heartless at all. Everyone kept saying, back at the big meeting, that a bunch of Heartless were on their way to destroy the world. If Kingdom Hearts wasn't found, the entire universe would face destruction.

But why weren't the Heartless gone? And where were they?

Sora was beginning to believe it was a lot of crock. But then... what was their mission for? Nothing?

The boy realized he was thinking way too much, and he returned to staring out over the city.

The Fallen Kingdom was beautiful. It was full of elegant, elaborate buildings and clothes, unique works of art, and a flowing language that he could somehow understand. It was all so strange.

The thoughts of Heartless came back to mind... Sora tried to shake them from his thoughts. He had to find out where Kingdom Hearts was. And what had happened to the Fallen Kingdom...

What did they have to do with one another? What was the secret?

"Every little light... in the sky... shines down... on us..."

Sora heard the song and was shocked. That was his song, the one he'd sung on the ship. The one Aime had said was from the Fallen Kingdom... this proved it. This girl, named Marina, was singing it.

Sora was sitting in the girl's bedroom, and the girl was sitting on her balcony, sewing something. As she sewed, she sang quietly under her breath.

"People make... the mistake... of thinking it shines... for them."

Standing, Sora moved towards her.

In the past few days Sora had spent in the dream, he'd learned that Marina was a Princess. She had beautiful red hair, and looked shockingly like Kairi. But her personality was much different. She was shy, quiet, and reserved, and mostly spent her time in her room. Only two boys, Tier and Cero, were allowed to see her. They were close friends. Tier was a lot like Riku, and Cero... well, Cero kinda looked like him.

But none of the three acted like Sora or his friends. It was like having a twin who was the total opposite of you.

As Sora thought, Marina kept singing.

"But not us... the light shines for the people, and we shine in the light..."

The door to her room opened suddenly. Two armed soldiers stepped into the room. "Milady, its time."

Almost sadly, Marina sighed and stopped her sewing, stopped her singing. She looked up. "I am coming."

Confused, Sora watched Marina leave the room, and rushed after.

0-0-0

He was quickly stunned.

Marina was led to a balcony where five other young women stood. Women who looked just like the Princesses of light.

The six of them stood regally on the balcony, and below the entire city was crowded, watching in anticipation. A man dressed in the best finery approached them and bowed.

"My ladies, my queens..." The man began. "Have you chosen your newest addition?"

Sora glanced up and saw the eldest, who looked similar to Aurora, step up. She was dressed in a beautiful, flowing green dress, and had a headband around her flowing blonde hair. Glancing down, she nodded.

"We have chosen." As one, the audience seemed to hold their breath. "Lady Alikia, of the third realm, you have been chosen as one of the Princesses of the Inner heart."

The crowd cheered, and a small blonde girl stepped up, blushing nervously. She looked just like Alice, and wore dark brown rags like that of a commoner. She was immediately ushered into the castle, the crowd cheering her on.

Sora was confused. What was a Princess of the Inner Heart?

He was about to find out.

0-0-0

An hour later, Alikia was dressed in the finest clothes, and wore a headband similar to the other princesses. Sora learned that each headband referred to the place the Princess was born, and each Princess was from one of the seven different regions of the Kingdom. That was why there were only seven Princesses.

They were the representatives of the people, the figureheads, meant to look beautiful and inspirational, to give the people hope in their poor lives. And, they had a ceremonial value.

"Our duty is to guard the Great Heart." The Aurora look a like explained to Alikia. The seven princesses, Marina included, were walking down a long dark hallway. "Each day we watch over it, and make sure it is burning strongly and brightly."

"Our thoughts and emotions help the heart to remain strong. We must always be vigilant." Another princess, one who looked just like Snow White, murmured. As she said it, she glanced at Marina. Marina turned away.

"What is the Great Heart?"

"It is what gives our City life; it keeps it floating in the air, safe from harm. We must keep it safe, so that it keeps the city safe." The princess talking looked like Jasmine. She, unlike the Snow White princess, smiled at Marina encouragingly.

So, there was some sort of drama with Marina, and some of the princesses didn't like her. Girls; Sora would never understand them.

They stepped into a circular room, and at first when the door opened Sora was blinded. So was Alikia; she gasped when she could finally see the Great Heart.

It was shaped just like Kingdom Hearts, and was very large, taking up the whole room. The room was tall to hold the whole thing. As the princesses filed in, its light seemed to brighten.

"This is... amazing." Alikia muttered wondrously. Jasmine smiled at her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It is also a difficult burden. The Great Heart draws its power from us. We must be faithful to it."

Confused, the younger girl glanced up at her. "What do you mean?"

At this point, a princess who had been silent spoke up. She looked just like Belle. "Once we become Princesses here, we must not leave the castle. We cannot see our family anymore." As she said this, she seemed very pained. Perhaps, Sora thought, like the Belle he knew, she loved her father deeply.

"We also may not love anyone." Aurora said.

Alikia gasped. "Anyone!?"

Jasmine laughed, shaking her head at Aurora. "What she means is we must not fall in love. We cannot have husbands." The young girl glanced up at her.

"We... can't love?" Jasmine shook her head sadly.

Sora watched as Marina glanced away, a painful expression on her face. That was it; the reason the other princesses didn't like her.

She was in love. Sora's face blushed. The simply fact she looked like Kairi reminded him of her, made him miss her...

At this point the red headed princess spoke up. "I'm afraid you can't back out now." She said. Alikia glanced back at her, frightened. But Marina's eyes held no pity.

"Now that you've seen this place, you can't leave." She said. "You are married to the Great Heart now. It is your mother, your father, your life. You will never leave the castle again."

All at once Alikia burst into tears, falling to her knees, and Jasmine caught her. The other princesses rushed to her, glaring daggers at Marina, who was not affected. They surrounded the young girl, comforting her, holding her, but no one denied what Marina said. It was the truth.

Sora felt horrible for the girls. What a life to live.

"Isn't it awful?"

Shocked, Sora leapt back. The ghost was back. She giggled at his reaction, then somberly looked back at the girls. "It's sad, isn't it? They don't get a choice. They have to watch over it."

Sora glanced at the "Great Heart" in the middle. "Is that... Kingdom Hearts?"

"To them it is. To the people, it is. I always thought it was." She admitted.

"So... you lived back then?" The girl nodded.

"But now I know its a lie. Kingdom Hearts was never something you could look upon. Not really."

Sora seemed a little confused, but went with it. "As in... its just an idea?" He hoped that wasn't true.

The girl shook her head. "You'll see. Keep watching." Then she disappeared.

0-0-0

Many hours later, Sora followed Marina back to her room. He felt bad for her most of all the girls, even Alikia, because she seemed a bit jaded. Something had happened to her, and the drama still existed. She disappeared into her room. A little later, someone knocked on the door. They knocked again. They knocked a third time.

Marina leapt to her feet and ran to the door, passing through Sora in the process. It scared him, but he recovered quickly.

When Marina opened the door, he saw the boy standing in the doorway was his lookalike.

"You came." She whispered.

"I couldn't stop myself." He admitted. Cero stepped into the room, and kissed Marina with all the passion in his heart.

It was difficult to say the least for Sora to watch someone who looked like him make out with someone who looked like his girl. At least he could say they were destined... or something. Still, it made him blush, made him think of her. He turned away.

The ghost was standing on the balcony nearby, and this time Sora didn't jump.

"They are the problem." She whispered.

Sora glanced back at the lovers. "Why?" He asked.

The ghost walked past him and towards the boy and girl. "They start all the trouble that leads to the downfall of my kingdom. It's like the Trojan war... did star crossed lovers start that?"

Sora had no idea what a Trojan war was... but he watched the two kiss with sadness. "What did they do to deserve what's going to happen to them."

The girl shook her head. "Nothing."

0-0-0

Miroku stood on the deck, looking out over the sea. The moon was full, beautiful and bright. He let out a soft sigh of peace.

Something made a loud thud behind him, and he tensed. Slowly the man turned around.

A giant wolf was standing behind him: it was growling angrily, it was soaking wet, and it was staring right at him.

Only one thought occurred to the monk at that moment.

"HELP!"

0-0-0

**This long running story will end in three chapters.**

**I'm kinda sad. It's almost over. **

**Hope you enjoyed our time together! Hey, what am I saying? It's not over yet!**

**SULHADAHNE**


	25. Enter the Villain

"I don't understand why I'm here."

Lifting his head, Sora stared out over the city with a sigh. He was standing on the Princess Marina's balcony, looking down upon the city streets. The ghost floated nearby, being her usual, mysterious self. She would say nothing to him no matter how he asked her. She would only ever say something about her brother.

But Sora knew he had only one sister, and the ghost was not her. Then who was the girl's brother? And where was he? Sora had thought about it often but didn't know what to do. How to convince the hard headed ghost that her brother was someone else, out there somewhere?

Sora felt bad for her, mostly. He glanced at her, and sighed again. She was lost, lonely, and confused, and had latched onto Sora for comfort.

"Why are you showing me all this stuff?" He asked.

Finally the girl looked up at him, an innocent, yet sad look on her face. "Because... we lived back then, remember?" So the ghost girl was from the Fallen Kingdom.

"You might have... but I didn't. I'm still alive." Sora tried to say.

The girl just shook her head. "I know your my brother. I know!" She insisted. "He never passed on! He's still here. I'm sure you'll remember soon!" She turned away, her mouth set in a determined frown.

 Realization dawned on the teen. "That's why your showing me this stuff. You think... it'll help me remember something?" The girl nodded.

"You and I saw all this stuff happening. We tried to stop it. I know it'll help you remember." She said.

Somehow, Sora doubted it.

-=-=-

He made no sound as he walked into the dark throne room. But then, darkness never did make a sound, did it? The being grinned, fangs showing over his lips.

He stepped closer to the unconcious boy on the floor, kneeling beside him. The grin on his face was absolutely feral. Whatever his intentions were, they weren't nice. Slowly, his hand moved toward's Sora's sleeping face. It fluttered by his head, almost nervously, until suddenly the hand sped towards the boy's face and went _into_ his skull. The darkness throbbed, and the sleeping face contorted in pain and let out a vicious scream.

-=-=-

"Brother! What's wrong? What's wrong!?"

Sora was kneeling on the floor, hands on his head, screaming his heart out in agony. The ghost didn't know what to do, panicking, and in doing so, she lost control of her illusion of the past. The castle, the city, and the princesses, everything faded away. The truth was revealed; Sora and the ghost were standing in the darkness on a tall pillar, with a stained glass motif on the floor. It was a picture of Kingdom Hearts, and the Fallen Kingdom from before its fall, in all its glory.

Sora's screams took a darker turn, as something, a liquid, began to drip from his face. The ghost, crying, turned to him, and saw a puddle of dark liquid gathering on his forehead. It grew, and grew, and Sora kept screaming, as the darkness stretched out and began to form into a being.

It withdrew from Sora and stood nearby, and the dark substance disappeared from Sora's head. The boy fell to the floor in a heap, unconcious immediately. The ghost screamed, confused, worried, and desperately scared.

The being didn't seem to notice. He stood for a moment, eyes closed, before he slowly opened them, taking in his surroundings. He stretched, cracked his neck, moved his arms a little. It had been a long time since he'd been free.

In truth he wasn't totally free yet. He had awakened in the underground of the ruins of the Fallen Kingdom, and had immediately sought Sora out. Once he found him, he entered his mind. Now that both those things were complete, the being was ready for the final task, which would truly free him - forever.

"**This won't do**." The being spoke. His voice rumbled like evil, masculine and resonant. "**After waiting so long to see him, he's not even awake to greet me**." It began sauntering towards Sora's form, and immediately the ghost flew inbetween them.

"Leave him alone!" She screeched, ready to throw her powerful magic at him. The being didn't stop walking; it didn't even blink. But in one second, one blink of an eye, the ghost was suddenly gone, disappeared, banished. Only Sora remained, alone - alone with _him_.

"**What a weak creature. I'm done using you.**" The being said, though the ghost could not hear him. It didn't matter.

He - it - whatever it was approached Sora and lifted a hand out over his body. "**Wake up**." He ordered. Suddenly Sora's eyes sprang open, and a moment later, he was lifted to his feet by a hand grabbing his collar.

"What - what the hell?" Still confused and tired, Sora didn't understand what was going on as he was lifted and then thrown back.

"**Come on boy. If you're going to die, die on your feet.**" The being cackled. Sora's eyes wouldn't focus, and he couldn't hear right. His mind was on fire. It hurt - everything hurt - and every step the being took towards him made him hurt more. The closer it got, the more the pain amplified. Sora shut his eyes.

"**Look at me**!" The thing demanded. Something suddenly collided with Sora's face, and it burned like fire, scorching his cheek raw. It hurt like hell. A foot met his abdomen and he was violently turned over, rolling a few feet. "**I want my face to be the last thing you ever see**."

Blood trickled through Sora's mouth as he tried to stand. The blows hurt so much, more than normal, as if each one was sucking the life out of him. He struggled to his feet, only to be knocked to the ground again as the creature grabbed his collar and tossed him over his shoulder, and Sora hit the ground on his back, hard. He screamed again.

"**A wonderful sound, that**." The thing laughed. Finally it relented, and Sora had a moment to compose himself.

What was it, and where had it come from? The pain of the injuries, as if some sort of blistering fire had punched him, made Sora think of the Heartless. But he'd never met a Heartless that spoke to him, save for Ansem. Was this thing like Ansem? A personified Heartless? Sora attempted to call the Keyblade but something stopped him.

"**You can't use it**." The being said. "**I won't let you**."

Sora spat blood and finally stood tall again. "And who're you to tell me what to do!?" He was pissed off, bleeding, and ready to smash some heads.

The being laughed again, and it sent another flash of rage through Sora. "**Who am I? Why, I'm you**." It laughed again but that didn't register to Sora as he stopped breathing. Finally, he looked up and saw the creature for what it was.

It was him. Covered in shadows, reeking of them, the darkness bubbling up at his feet. It laughed maniacally as Sora looked him over, confused and scared, and the creature continued to laugh. It looked almost perfectly like him, but for the yellow eyes and clothes of black pants, no shoes or shirt, and his crown necklace around the thing's neck.

It was his shadow, it was Anti - Sora, but it had a voice, and it was laughing, and there was something so terribly evil, anciently evil about it, that Sora felt absolutely helpless, and had never been so scared in his entire life.

-=-=-

The monk Miroku had been faced with many monsters and dangers in his lifetime. He'd even fought against his own friend once when he'd gone beserk, but he'd never been faced with a werewolf before. One bite, and the monk would have another curse to live with besides the wind tunnel in his hand.

 Miroku knew on sight that it was a werewolf. Now he understood why Lupin had been left behind. If only they'd known the mangy mutt could swim. Also, he really regretted that he couldn't simply suck the beast into his wind tunnel, but he couldn't do that to the poor professor.

Backing away, the man's mind raced as he desperately searched for an answer. The wolf snarled, its glowing eyes trained on him, following him. At any moment the tension would break and the beast would attack, and then Miroku would be done for, one way or another.

They stood at an impasse, neither making a move. The door to the galley was all the way across the deck, and the wolf stood between it and Miroku. The monk cursed his luck.

Suddenly the beast lunged, and Miroku was frozen, heart racing, he couldn't make himself move, it was like he was trapped in quicksand -

As the beast flew through the air, it was suddenly hit in the side by something flying through the air, and thrown to the deck, hitting the wood with a thunderous crash. The top level of the ship was suddenly filled with the rest of the crew, all shouting Miroku's name and rushing to his aid.

Tifa came over to his side, fists raised, and glanced at him. "You all right?"

He nodded frantically. "Horribly shaken and in need of new pants, but I'm alive." Thank any and all gods for that!

He glanced back out over the deck; standing near the wolf was a tall, bat like thing, which looked frighteningly like a demon. It was red and gold, and very tall, with piercing eyes. Where in the world had it come from?

 Everyone but Tifa seemed to be confused about the newcomer. "What... what is it?" Aime muttered, standing near the door with Riku, whose Keyblade was drawn.

"That's Vincent." Tifa said, shocking the group. They all turned to stare at the tall winged wonder as the creature growled at its werewolf foe. Tifa smirked proudly. "My boyfriend."

-=-=-

"What - What's going on?" Sora whispered, glancing around as if to look for a way out, or an answer. "What's happening?"

"**Your death.**" The creature stated plainly. A shiver that made him visibly shake ran down Sora's spine. This thing was evil. And it was after him.

He finally noticed that the ghost girl was gone. "What'd you do to her?" Despite his fear and weakness, the idea of the girl being hurt renewed the fire in his veins.

"**She's gone. No use to you. Locked away in her seal**." The thing said with a nonchalant wave of it's arm. It's pupil-less eyes became trained on him again. "**It's just you and me, together again, after all these years**." It began moving closer, and Sora bravely held his ground. "**In truth, I have nothing against you. Your death is simply a necessity. It's too bad you won't live to see my final glory**."

"F - Final glory?" Sora's eyes narrowed. "And what's that?"

Suddenly the thing raised its arms in the air and laughed again, and the darkness swelled and spewed into the air like a geyser. "**My... revenge**!" It cackled, the darkness spiraling and dancing around him. It moved dangerously close to Sora, who quickly back away. The darkness covered almost the entire platform.

But even as Sora backed away, the darkness suddenly danced around him and surrounded him on all sides, and then moved in. Sora had no where to go, as the darkness formed a circle around him. It didn't touch him, but came darn close.

"**After all these years I'll get to see everything I HATE... die**." The cackles died down to little spasms of quiet laughter, which frankly was more creepy and evil sounding. Sora's sword arm quivered, but the Keyblade still wouldn't come to him. Suddenly the laughter died, and the thing was angry. "**Stop! Trying!**" It shouted. "**No matter what you do that infernal thing won't come to you.**" Sora clenched his fists and frowned. "**I'm part of you, and I can block off the part of you that's connected to it. It can't reach you, even if it wanted to**."

"If you're part of me... what do you want revenge for? What'd I do to you?" Sora asked, searching for answers. But he was also stalling for time.

"**Oh it wasn't you, little one, don't confuse yourself. It was **_**THEM**_!" The creature spun around and thrust it's arms out, and in the murky darkness an image of the Fallen Kingdom appeared. The creature snarled and it truly sounded like a beast. "**All of them! Those traitorous bastards!**" The image danced and waved with his anger, and the darkness with it.

"The people of the Kingdom?" Sora asked. Now he was really confused. "But... I wasn't alive back then. What are you talking about?"

The creature, its back still turned to Sora, began to chuckle lightly. "**Oh little one... so confused**." It turned back to him. "**Perhaps, as a thank you for donating your life to my cause, I shall enlighten you.**" It approached him slowly, like a tiger stalking prey, a light smile on its lips. "**You were not alive then, no... but I was**."

"Y - you?"

The thing nodded and smirked. "**Perhaps it is more correct to say... that you are a part of me... not the other way around**." The smirk grew into a beast's grin.

Suddenly tendrils of the darkness rose from the ground, and in a flash, flew at Sora. He opened his mouth to scream, raised his hands to his head, but couldn't stop them. The strings latched onto him, entered his mind, and dragged him into the world of memories.

-=-=-

In the throne room of the castle, the little crown sat on its satin pillow, and began to shake slightly. It shook more violently, until it looked like it was having a seizure. After a moment it began to glow, and in a flash, a spiritual form erupted from the crown.

"Finally!" The ghost girl chirped. She'd been accidentally or purposefully locked into her seal many times, but it had never taken her so long to escape. That stupid dark spirit... interrupting her and her brother's time! The spirit wanted to go fight with the dark one, but she knew she would lose. Plus, she could tell that Sora was safe, out of the reaches of the darkness.

The same could not be said for Sora's friends. The ghost could feel them fighting nearby, on the edge of the island. She knew that they already had their hands full, and they didn't know about the onslaught that was soon to come. Once the dark one had Sora out of the way, he would surely begin to open the door to Darkness again. The Heartless army would be free, and Sora's friends would be right in their way.

The ghost, though it was usually selfish and concerned little with the safety of the world, knew she had to do something.

She knew that the Heartless couldn't be allowed to leave the Fallen Kingdom. If they did, it would be that much harder to get rid of them for good. They had to be stopped right here, right now. If the warriors of light could keep them back long enough for the Keyblade bearer to open the Door to Light, which was buried deep beneath the castle, then the Heartless could finally be destroyed.

But the few people on the island weren't enough. More would have to come. And the only one who could bring them was her - the ghost.

It would take a lot of energy. But the ghost would do it, because she knew she had too. She couldn't let her brothers friends die, she couldn't let the worlds get destroyed. She would do whatever it took to keep her brother happy.

Knowing that, the girl closed her eyes, and began her spell.

-=-=-

For the second time, Sora found himself encompassed in the past. This time, he was alone, though the thing was narrating to him in his mind. The memories flashed through his mind so fast it was like he was living all of them in a millisecond, like he was a computer downloading the files. All the while, the thing explained to him the truth.

_**The Kingdom was a place full of the blind, the deaf, and the dumb. They pretended that what they could not see could not exist.**_

_**In this time there was no light. Outside the city limits was all darkness. The Kingdom was forever at risk of destruction.**_

Sora saw images of what was described - the city, living in peace and prosperity, while behind closed doors, the peace was kept with cruel, heartless means. A corrupted city living in ignorance of the evil at its heart. And, surrounded on all sides by darkness, which threatened to engulf it each day.

_**So, to protect the city, the elders created the Heart, which radiated light. The Heart was created by the greatest, most secret, most powerful magic. But it was fragile, and had to be watched over.**_

_**Seven girls, pure of heart, one from each district of the city, were chosen to watch over the Heart. Each girl devoted their very existence to it, living for no other reason than to give it the energy to survive. **_

At this point Sora saw from Cero's point of view; he saw the Prince watching the princesses in secret, watching their sad expressions, the dark bags beneath their eyes, the hopeless lives they lead. They were birds kept in cages, their feathers molting.

_**The hearts of the lonely girls were not enough to support the Heart. The darkness began to creep in. The town was in fear. **_

Now Sora could see as the shadows moved in; buildings would disappear overnight, people going out to town and never returning home. Slowly and surely the darkness was taking over the city, and the people were hysteric.

_**At that time, A man named Xehanort came from the darkness, the first to ever do so. **_

The similarity between the image Sora saw of Xehanort and the current Xemnas was very scary. Sora didn't even want to try and wrap his mind around how this Xemnas clone was related to the powerful leader of the Organization. Sora watched the Ansem person walk into the city, appearing out of thin air from the shadows, those around him watching in awe. He walked proudly, and was not intimidated by the revulsion and fear of those around him.

_**He was immediately taken to the King. Xehanort began to tell of monsters that lived in the darkness, that fed off of the light of people. If the people did not find a way to fight them off, they would invade the kingdom and kill everyone.**_

_**He revealed that he held knowledge from the darkness to create blades that could destroy the monsters. Immediately he was given permission to start.**_

Sora watched as Ansem set to work and spent months perfecting the weapons that were going to be used. He worked underground, in secret, away from the rest of the world.

_**But Ansem needed light to help with the making of the weapons. Of course, one of the princesses was offered up as a sacrifice. This princess would allow pieces of her heart, her light, to be placed within the blades to give them strength. The princess chosen was a girl named Marina.**_

A smiling girl, looking up at him with love - a teenage girl's heartfelt laughter - words spoken, hugs given - it ran through Sora's head and was very familiar to him. The emotions that Cero had felt and was sharing with Sora, the boy had already felt before, with Kairi. Cero had really been head over heels for the red headed princess.

_**Marina had been, for a long time, having a secret romance with the boy prince Cero. It was because of this that Marina was chosen. The princess chosen would likely die for the blades, and it was thought to be a fitting punishment for the traitor.**_

A single memory overpowered Sora for a moment.

"_No! Don't do this, your majesty, please! Punish me!" Cero pleaded to the King. The bearded man slowly shook his head._

"_No, Cero. You have done no wrong. The Princess must only serve the Heart. She must be punished."_

_Angered and feeling helpless, Cero clenched his fists and said no more._

_**The creation of the blades continued. Marina placed a piece of her heart in each one, and slowly, began to fade away. In the end, four blades were created. **_

_**These blades, which were shaped like large keys, were given to those who cared about the Princess Marina. It was believed that the pieces of Marina's heart would respond more to someone who the princess loved. **_

_**But there was a trick. Ansem had not been truthful. He had given three of the four "keyblade bearers" fakes. Only one was real. It had been a test to see if the blades without Marina's heart could work as well as the one with the heart piece. The only keyblade that worked was the one with Marina's heart. This was the blade that Cero had been given.**_

_**Because of his success, Cero was regarded as a hero. He was called the true Keyblade bearer, the chosen one, amongst other things.**_

The images showed the people celebrating Cero, cheering his name, while the other keyblade bearers faded into the background. One, in particular, seemed a little pissed off by the turn of events. Tier seemed to be very jealous, to the point of anger.

_**To everyone's surprise, Marina survived sharing her heart with the blades. Her love for Cero seemed to have made her strong enough. But, it was for this strong heart that the darkness began to target her. She was constantly in danger.**_

Tortured, painful feelings raced through Sora as he felt Cero's fear of losing Marina, and his need to protect her.

_**Cero and Tier both wanted to save Marina - but unlike Cero, Tier had figured out the truth. He knew that the keyblade he had been given was a fake, and he knew that Marina hadn't been stolen. Ansem had given her to the darkness.**_

_**So, one night, Tier took Cero into the secret chamber where the keyblades were made...**_

_... "He lied to us! He never gave us the real ones at all!"_

_Slamming his fist into the ice, Tier didn't blink when it began to bleed. He was enraged. "What… what's going on, Tier?" Cero asked._

_"The old man… he said that with our swords, we could save the world. But we never had the real ones at all! Did we?" Glancing up, Tier frowned. "Wait… that one in the middle is different. It doesn't look at all like yours…"_

_Cero frowned too. The one in the middle was small, much smaller than his. If it was true that Tier, Cero, and Marina's blades were fakes, then the flower blade was the real version of Marina's blade, and the black one with the wing was Tier's actual blade. But the one in the middle wasn't like Cero's at all. Frowning, Cero summoned his blade._

_It was like the small one, but longer, with different colors. The handle was golden, not white._

_As Cero looked over his blade, and then to the wall, in amazement, Tier glared, his fury rising. Why…_

_"Why did he give you the real one?" Tier muttered. Cero looked at him._

_"What?"_

_"Why did Xehanort give you the Keyblade?" Tier growled, his voice rising. Cero looked at his friend in surprise. What was wrong?_

_"Tier… what are you talking about?"_

_"You've always been hopeless" Tier spat. "I may have been a slave, but I was better off than you! You, the foolish prince who tripped over his own feet, who didn't know the crown from a hat! Why you!?"_

_Roaring in anger, the boy swept everything off the desk by summoning his blade. Screaming, Tier destroyed the desk; in shock, Cero ran, ran down the hall in the back, scared for his life, and confused._

_"Why!?"_

_Tier glanced down at the fake in his hands. He closed his eyes. Darkness began swirling around the fake blade, very weakly at first. Tier cursed his strength. The boy raced after Cero._

_The two boys disappeared into darkness…_

_**As you can see, Tier wasn't very happy when he found proof of Ansem's lies. And his jealousy finally destroyed him - destroyed us all. **_

_The two boys disappeared into darkness…_

_Gasping for breath, the young boy slid to a halt at a dead end. "Dead end? No!" The only things in the room were a domed roof with lanterns and a large, strange well in the center. Behind it was a large mural, but Cero didn't pay it any mind._

_"A well?" Thinking it his only hope, Cero climbed up the side and looked down. Darkness was thick in the well, but a strange blue light shone very far below in the bottom. It was a long fall, but maybe the only way to get out of Tier's way. It was bad to hang around when Tier got in a rage._

_"Cero!"_

_Tier raced into the room, his face contorted in rage. Gasping in fright, Cero spun around, and to his shock saw tendrils of darkness wrapping around Tier's blade._

_"No! Tier, you know what'll happen –"_

_"Shut up!" The boy was breathing hard, but maybe not because of the running. "It's the only way! If Xehanort won't help me, no one will!"_

_"But –"_

_"You're in the way!" Tier spat bitterly. His features became softer._

_"I'm the only one who can save Marina."_

_**Believing that he alone could protect Marina from the darkness, wanting desperately to be the Kingdom's hero, Tier struck his friend down in cold blood. **_

_**But Tier's hatred and anger opened the door for the shadows to get in. Through his heart, they entered the city, attacking Tier and Cero first...**_

_"I'm the only one who can save Marina."_

_He raised the blade ahead of him. It was pointed at Cero._

_"Tier - !"_

_Before he could finish his words, Cero felt a stabbing pain in his chest, just below his heart. Darkness surrounded the blade even more, as the tendrils reached out and impaled Cero's skin. It was going deeper, digging, burning into his skin, reaching up into his heart, burning everything away with darkness and hatred._

_"Ah – ah – AHHHH! AHHHH!!"_

_It was like he was being burned alive from the inside – darkness growing, swelling inside of him. Then it just stopped. And almost, like slow motion, he fell, gracefully, broken; his dead body plummeted down into the darkness, disappeared into the blue light down in the well._

_Tier let the blade fall, gasping, and looked at his right hand. It was singed, burned a dark red from holding the blade. It clattered to the floor._

_"What – what?" Gasping, the boy felt pain growing in his own heart – a burning sensation – so painful – like he was being burned alive –_

_**It was the end of everything. Cero's dying body fell into the well, and Tier was destroyed from the inside out.**_

_**But Cero was not quite dead, and the shadows were still on him. They infested him. But the place where his body lay was a place of light, far beneath the city. So the shadows could not take him. But they still grew within him, slowly destroying him, painfully ripping him apart.**_

_**It didn't end, even for centuries after the Kingdom's death. It kept tearing him apart, eating away at him slowly... and he could feel it all...**_

The very pain that the creature was describing, Sora was feeling. He was, in a matter of seconds, living through the eons of agony that Cero had lived through, and it was more than torturous. It was hell.

_**It destroyed him. Eventually, he opened what little was left of his heart to the darkness. He surrendered. And I was born.**_

Like surfacing from a body of water, Sora was suddenly back in the real world, free of the memories.

He didn't feel much better for it.

-=-=-

"**Tier betrayed us**." The thing slowly began to approach Sora, as if he were a predator. "**They all did, leaving us to die, to suffer**!" His anger flowed into the darkness, making it ripple and grow. It came closer to Sora every second. he still couldn't call the Keyblade, no matter how he tried.

"**Even her. She...**" For a moment the creature was distracted, his anger replaced by a forlorn sadness.

In that moment Sora did the one thing he could think of. Instead of allowing the ever threatening darkness to consume him, he turned and bravely leapt off the side of the platform. Too late the creature realized and snarled in anger. The tendrils of darkness chased him but were not fast enough, and the teen fell into the empty abyss.

-=-=-

There is a difference between darkness and a simple absence of substance. Darkness is deep, penetrating, frightening, pitch black. Nothingness is like floating in an ocean of water that you cannot see or feel, like drowning while still being able to breathe. The space into which Sora leapt was not part of the realm of Darkness or Light, but simply an empty space between them.

It seemed like it took years for Sora to plummet through the vast void, but in reality, seconds after he jumped Sora landed hard on his rear end in a pile of books. A few curses and grunts later, he was struggling to his feet, heart pounding.

That had been a close one, a real scrape. He'd almost been killed! Overtaken by the darkness! It was such a close call that it sent chills down Sora's spine. And he was pissed that he had been so helpless without the Keyblade. He hadn't been able to do a thing, and it irked him.

The boy glanced up at where he'd fallen from, and saw above a towering chasm that seemed to never end. He stared up at it for a few moments. Nothing followed after him, so he assumed he was safe - for the time being.

Frightened and frustrated, Sora attempted to call the Keyblade. no matter what he tried, his hand remained empty. Throwing his arms up in defeat, the boy sighed and sat down.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He huffed and hung his head.

"Well, to start, you could introduce yourself."

 The boy jumped at the voice, standing again, only to trip on a book and fall. Flailing in the pile, Sora found a extended to him. He took it.

"Uh, thanks." He muttered. Once he came face to face with the man, his eyes grew wide. "Holy shit!"

The person who's hand he was holding blinked and glanced around. "Hmm?" He asked. "Is something wrong?"

The man was tall, slim, and broad shouldered, with short, messy silver hair and an angular face. Ragged, dirty, and ruffled, the poor man looked like he'd been thrown head first into a trash can, and smelled like it too. He seemed to know how he appeared, and flushed scarlet.

"Sorry, it's a rarity for me to have guests. I wasn't prepared." He chuckled nervously, holding up the tattered ends of his white scientist coat. Sora continued to gape like a fish, making the man very self conscious.

He wore glasses over his piercing green eyes, and though he looked a little anxious, he had a kind, disarming smile. He seemed genuine.

"You..." Sora stumbled backward, almost falling again. "You're Dr. Komyou. The scientist... from the Destiny Islands!" Sora gawked, shaking his head as if it were a dream.

The tall man across from him now looked shocked. "You... you know me?" The man gaped. It took Sora a moment to recover, but finally he responded.

The teen looked up and quietly stated, "I know your son."

-=-=-

**More to come soon!**


	26. The Warriors are Summoned

"... so, when that guy Urahara gave me the picture of you, I knew that meant you might be alive somewhere." Sora declared to Dr. Komyou, who was listening attentively. "We'd all though you were dead, Riku included."

"Why didn't you show him the picture? Why did you hide it?" The doctor asked. The poor man had the look of a lost puppy on his face, not understanding why Sora had kept the truth from his best friend. They had spent the last hour talking, and Dr. Komyou was now up to date on Sora's journey, saving Kairi and Riku, all the way up to present day.

"I was afraid he'd run off to find you." Sora admitted with a depressed sigh. Slight shame showed on his face through the downtrodden look and pouting lips. "I didn't want him to disappear again, on some wild goose chase." Then, the teen glanced up, waving his hands. "Not that your a wild goose or anything!"

Shaking his head, the doctor laughed kindly. "No, I understand. If that's the case, I'm glad you didn't tell him." He glanced up and around. "I wouldn't want him following me here."

This made Sora remember all the questions he had. "Where is 'here'? And how'd you get here?"

The taller man adjusted his glasses and stood, hands behind his back like a professor about to give a lecture. "This place is what's left of the true city of Kingdom Hearts; in this laboratory and library, the Keyblades were created. At least, that is my hypothesis." He turned to look at Sora again. "This place is the only place in the universe that is truly both light and darkness; if you go down this hall for a while, you will find the body of the first human taken by the heartless. He is the source of all of them. Yet, if you go down this way," the doctor pointed the other direction, "you will find the Door to the Light."

"WHOA! Really!?" Sora leapt to his feet, grinning like a maniac. The door! What they'd been looking for since forever! "Then let's go!"

"Wait a moment, son." Dr. Komyou grabbed Sora's shoulder. "You'd better here the rest of this city's tale, and mine." Sora pouted, but nodded and sat back down.

"When I first left my wife and son on the Destiny Islands, I had planned for a short trip. It was an experiment, to see if I truly could leave the Islands. Where there really other worlds out there? I had to know." He began to pace.

"You see, I'd been studying the lore and the myths of 'other worlds' for years. I was sure that Kingdom Hearts existed, but had no proof. I would have to leave the island to see the truth, to find out if there really was something else out there. My wife understood my desire."

"But she and I both knew the whole Island would deem my insane if we told them where I was trying to go." The man sighed and adjusted his glasses again. "So, we lied. To everyone, including Riku." The scientist's face contorted into a grimace. "I didn't know what I was in for."

"I managed to escape the Islands without aid, simply with my will, my heart, and a little magic." Sora gawked; he was quite impressed. The only other person he knew who had done that was the Beast. "I began traveling. I saw Twilight Town, Radiant Garden... eventually I found this city, albeit on accident. It's very difficult to find the Fallen Kingdom."

Curious, Sora pleaded for the rest of the story. "So? How'd you do it? What happened?"

Sighing, the scientist dragged his feet over to Sora and sat down. "I tried to go home." He admitted. "But I just couldn't find it; I got lost in the darkness... ended up here." Tears pricked his eyes as he looked up at the library. I made the mistake of getting stuck here."

"Stuck?"

He nodded, and wiped his few tears away. Sora smiled consolingly. "The dark ones that exist here cannot harm me in this place, but if I travel above, they'll kill me. In this horrid place I've lost everything, even time. Though from the looks of you, at least a decade's gone by." He chuckled and his heart lifted slightly. "You were just a boy last we met."

Sora nodded, his smile fading a little. "Yeah..."

There was a moment of silence, during which both the boy and the man were lost in memories of their home. Of days when life was peaceful, and they were younger... the spell of silence didn't last long.

"So, this library... the keys..." Sora glanced around. "What's in all these books?"

The scientist regained his smile, and looked proudly on the room. "All these years I've been reading these journals... they are the accumulated, ancient research of the scientists of the Fallen Kingdom, all of it. They tell the whole history of this place."

-=-=-

A ghostly, ethereal beauty floated far above the Fallen Kingdom. It was not the ghostly girl who insisted Sora was her older brother... it was a different spirit, that of the Princess Marina.

The ghost that obsessed over Sora was in the throne room, sitting by the crown, watching as the Princess activated a spell. The other ghost was working on a spell of her own; and though the two ghosts were not working together, their magic was for a similar purpose.

Light began to pour out of both spirits, until they shined as bright as the sun.

The call was being sent, to any who would respond to it, to come and fight the last fight for all of everything. Some would come for glory and bloodshed, others to protect their homes and families, others still to keep the end of All from coming so soon. They would come, and fight the Final Darkness.

The Fallen Kingdom was now surrounded by a cloud of spiraling darkness, created by the Dark Cero, who was rising out of the depths of the castle to begin his siege on everything, every world. Lightning flashed in the dark storm, thunder boomed and shook the buildings. Still, the two ghosts continued their spells, as their ephemeral forms became brighter and brighter.

As if responded to their light, other lights began to appear out in the dark storm; they were faint, hard to see through the black clouds, but they were getting brighter. More and more lights appeared, as more and more people responded to the call. Soon, they began appearing in groups, popping up quickly, and the light grew, breaking through the darkness.

The Dark One saw this and let out a indignant roar. Rising out of the dungeons, it crawled through the hallways, huge shadows fanning out behind it. Anything it touched became singed, artwork disintegrated, furniture burst into dust. Like a legless monster the thing clawed at the floor and raced forward, out into the city streets, snarling wildly.

Outside, the lights began to float towards the ground gently, becoming the people they represented. Many people from many worlds appeared, and though most of them didn't really know what was happening, they understood that they were here to fight, and that if they lost, the worst was inevitable.

"Leon!"

The tall man appeared first out of the darkness, gunblade drawn, a look of determination on his handsome face. He turned when his name was called to see a familiar ninja running towards him. "This is it! Right? Kingdom Hearts brought us here to kill the Heartless once and for all! Am I right?" She bounced like an eager puppy, weapon in hand. Leon smirked.

"I suppose. All I know is, we're here to win." He frowned at the darkness ahead of them; the warriors all stood on a broad expansive plain, which lacked any kind of wildlife. It was simply darkness, with a thin mist rolling over it. Miles away stood the abandoned castle, from which poured the evil they were about to engage.

"Heh... well, whatever's going on, it promises to be fun, huh?" Yuffie jumped when she heard a familiar voice come from above. Then she frowned and swatted at Xigbar's face, who dodged and disappeared back into the dark portal.

"Hey! You jerk! You gave me a heart attack!" The girl frowned and stomped her foot.

"It would be a wise course of action to save that energy for the battle ahead, miss." Yuffie and Leon turned to see a blonde stranger approach, holding an axe in one hand. A large scar went over the side of his face and his eyebrow. He smiled and nodded his head. "I am Basch von Rosenburg of Dalmasca. I know not what we fight, but I lend my axe willingly."

Leon smiled and extended a hand. "We're glad to have you."

More people began to approach this trio, almost as if Leon was the unanimously chosen leader of their mismatched army.

"Yuna!" Yuffie cheered, running over to the taller girl. Yuna's cousin Rikku and her friend Paine were beside her. As Yuffie approached, so did two other girls: Tifa and Aerith. As the girls grouped together and began talking, Leon greeted the other warriors. The darkness was still far off.

"So what the hell's going on here?" A familiar dog demon asked, hands behind his head. Inuyasha frowned. "I don't see anything out there."

Another white haired man walked up beside him. "Use your senses, foolish brother. There are thousands, perhaps more, creatures of darkness pouring out of those gates. You may be blind to them, but this Sesshoumaru knows." Inuyasha frowned at this man and stuck his tongue out.

"I got senses, all right? I just... don't sense all that."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Of course not."

The two brothers broke into bickering (which was really just Inuyasha yelling while Sesshomaru verbally slaughtered him); Basch smiled, knowing immediately that they were brothers, since he'd had the same sorts of fights with his own kin. Leon left the three to their own devices and began looking over the other warriors who'd come to fight the darkness. He wanted to know what kind of assets they had.

Leon could see Xigbar had rejoined his Organization family; all thirteen of them were present, weapons drawn, talking over their own plan of action. Leon let them be; he trusted Xemnas to lead them wisely.

The man came upon five men, three he recognized, two were strangers. The first man, smirking with his arms crossed, was not known to him; he had silver hair and stubble on his cheeks. Beside this man was a younger man whose arm was some sort of demonic appendage.

"A vampire working for a human? And here I though I'd seen everything." The older man smirked. He was talking to Alucard, the infamous vampire; Alucard saw Leon out of the corner of his eye and nodded in recognition. Then he returned to speaking to the other man.

"Looks like you're losing your touch, old man." The younger one spoke to his friend.

"Don't start kid."

The other two standing beside Alucard and the two strangers were Abel, the Vatican Priest, and a man that Leon knew from the world meetings, Vash the Stampede. They seemed to be talking very happily about something...

"Donuts any day man! Morning, noon, night!"

"Oh, but don't you need something to drink with that? I must have tea, thirteen sugars precisely!"

Leon shook his head and moved on. From the looks of it, the heroes so far had a few demons to their names, along with some gunslingers, a vampire, and a priest.

The darkness was coming every closer. Leon moved faster. He wanted to assess the whole army before the battle began.

He saw many familiar faces, and was very glad to see them, but didn't have time to stop and speak to them. Riku was in the crowd, along with his crew members; Kairi was standing next to a green haired boy with a lightning scar on his forehead. _A wizard_, Leon thought with a smirk, _that's a good addition_.

All sorts of people and beings had responded to the Light's call; there were hundreds of them. Leon scanned the crowd and saw demons, angels, half breeds, humans, animals, and creatures he couldn't name. He saw archers, swordsmen, magicians, summoners, warriors of all kinds. The army was a rag tag group, with a good mix of everything.

The darkness was almost upon them when Leon gave up his rounds and approached Rinoa, who stood in the center of this large army. He leaned in to her ear.

"I must ask a favor." He whispered the favor into her ear, and Rinoa's smile became a smirk.

"Sounds good to me." She smiled. Leon back away and smiled back.

The warrior backed away as Rinoa began casting a spell, she closed her eyes, and performed her Limit Break.

Two great wings burst out of her back, without causing her pain, and she took to the sky, catching the eyes of all the warriors on the field. The mighty wings cast a light upon them, brightening the darkness, as her vivid eyes looked over the incoming enemy.

"There really are thousands of them..." She whispered. A dreadful fear shout through her then. What if they couldn't win? What if...?

She shook these thoughts from her mind, and turned her eyes to the men and women below. "Warriors!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the murky blackness. The group fell silent, all eyes on the sky. "The time is now for the final battle, for the last fight against darkness!" Many cheers rang through the area, as most people drew their swords or other weapons. The time for talking was over; every one began preparing themselves for bloodshed.

"What comes at us now is the true source of darkness. We cannot hope to defeat it on our own. But, inside that castle, our last hope remains; The Keyblade Bearer travels now into a deeper darkness than we will ever know!" Rinoa shouted, flinging her arm out towards the imposing struture. "He delves into those shadows and fights stronger monsters than we are to face! In order to find the Door to the Light!"

More cheers and hurrahs exploded, people swung their blades in honor of this boy who most didn't even know. He was a legend, an ephemeral hero to some; to others, a loyal friend and ally; to one, he was the love of her life. All of these people cheered together for a boy with a heart of gold.

"Once he finds that door, all this darkness shall perish! We must keep it at bay until then! If it passes us... if one dark creature makes its way to the outside world... our homes, our families, our loved ones will pay the price! We must not let any more hearts be taken by these Heartless!"

This created the loudest battle cry yet. The entire field roared in agreement. Rinoa, her symbolic wings of hope beating in the air, smiled down on them. The Heartless could now be seen in the cloud of darkness approaching; their yellow eyes stared out blankly, their stringy limbs reached out and grasped at the air. There were millions of them.

"Now, warriors! Let's drag these bastards back into the abyss they came from!" She now had to shout over all the noise. Grinning, she raised her fist. "Now!" With a beat of her wings she led the charge, diving down onto the monstrous army ahead of them, summoning magic to her aid.

The hundreds of pounding feet behind her sounded like a stampede as they bore down on the dark entities that stormed towards them. Blade met dark flesh, tendrils of shadow snapped at skin, and the battle had begun.

Basch destroyed many with his thick axe, sending one after another back to the shadows. The creatures bit at his legs and he kicked in retaliation; one flew at his back, and almost grabbed hold of him, but it was shot in midair.

Basch spun around and grinned at the sight of a familiar friend.

"Seems you're falling down on the job, Knight." A smooth voice said. The man approaching held a rifle in hand, was dressed in rich clothing, and had a slick look about him. Behind him stood a tall, dark skinned woman in armor with rabbit ears upon her head. She had a bow and arrows, and was currently shooting down the Heartless which leapt through the air at the warriors.

"Baltheir! Fran! Good to know that I am not the only son of Ivalice to have heard the call." Basch chopped and hacked through more monsters as Baltheir stood at his back, shooting the monsters in a timely fashion.

"This son of Ivalice would much rather be hunting for treasure than wasting time in this dark pit." Balthier smirked. "But, the lady insisted, and I never begrudge Fran of anything."

Across the battlefield, a tall vampire stood, guns drawn, firing in rapid succession at the beasts around him. His own tendrils of darkness stretched out from beneath his cloak; they did little but keep the monsters at bay. A creature of darkness Alucard might have been, but he certainly was not the origin of All shadow. For once, he couldn't simply rely on his dark powers for victory.

He was quickly approached by a tall blonde woman, hacking through the beasts with a sword in one hand and a gun in the other. The creatures leapt on her long jacket, trying to crawl over it, but she swiped at them to get them off. She quickly ripped the jacket off and kept fighting, gun blazing.

Alucard laughed happily, and in one instant, appeared beside her. "Master!" He grinned. "Have we ever fought together like this?"

"You bastard!" Integra shouted. "You'll be the death of me!"

"And why is that, Master?"

Grimacing, Integra took her anger out on the nearest Heartless. "You collapsed in that desert! I didn't know if you'd ever awaken! And here you are, enjoying yourself, while I'm bloody worried out of my mind!"

Integra had never revealed her feelings in such a manner; Alucard was shocked. But he hid it well. "Forgive me Master. I never meant to worry you." His words seemed to irritate the woman further.

"Just shut up!"

-=-=-

Sora and Dr. Komyou walked side by side through the dark corridor, heading away from the Door to the Light. The doctor wanted Sora to see the origin first, for reasons he wouldn't explain.

"So, all that stuff the dark... thing told me, that was true?"

Sadly, the scientist nodded. "Yes... I'm afraid the history of this place is not a happy one."

Sora nodded, eyes to the floor. "But I'm still confused. Towards the end, it started talking about 'she', 'even she betrayed me'."

"There's no doubt in my mind who she is." The man stated. "It was Marina."

"How?"

Sighing, the scientist hung his head. "Marina cared for both Tier and Cero. But she didn't know how jealous and corrupt Tier had become. When Cero and Tier had their fight, it was witnessed by two people, both of whom were later absorbed into shadow."

The hallway they were walking through became darker and darker, and the floor began to feel wet, almost swamp like. "Who were they?" Sora asked.

"The first was Xehanort, who was promptly dragged into shadow. He was split into many personas and many beings, who were thrown across time and space. You've met at least four of his incarnations." Dr. Komyou explained. "Cero, who was angry at Xehanort for using Marina, wanted to truly punish him."

Sora winced. "Ouch. That had to hurt."

"Indeed." The doctor adjusted his glasses. "The other was a young prince, who'd seen the event by accident through a secret passageway."

_Tier gave one last short breath. "One who knows nothing… can understand nothing…"_

_Xehanort turned to the boy. Tier fell to the floor, his eyes dark, sitting in a mix of blood and darkness._

_Xehanort kneeled beside him. "And now… has my plan worked? Perhaps I have been mistaken. But I have doubtlessly created a connection that will last through the ages."_

_"The boys will be tied together, for all eternity. I have no doubt… at least that ambition has been decided."_

_Suddenly, he turned his head. He was being watched._

_In the corner of the room was a crack in the wall, a path that had been created in a strange accidental explosion. It led to the throne room, but no one had ever found the path. Until today, it seemed._

_For behind the crack watching him were two blue eyes. They grew wide when his red irises gazed at them, and whoever it was turned and fled into the darkness._

"This prince escaped before Cero released his anger. You see, Cero was tortured for many centuries, but before that he lashed out in anger against the Fallen Kingdom. That was what destroyed it. Only later, when the darkness was eating him alive, did he give in and become the origin of all Heartless."

"So the Heartless didn't destroy the Kingdom, Cero did." Sora recapped. The scientist nodded.

"This prince was only a young boy, and was frightened by what he saw. He immediately ran to Marina for comfort. When the princess was told what had happened she was devastated. But, when Cero rose out of the shadow and began attacking the Kingdom, it was she who gave the order to use the Keyblades to defeat him."

Sora, eyes wide, stopped walking for a minute. "But... they were in love, weren't they?" He asked, confused. "I mean, ... she chose Cero before Kingdom Hearts, right? Why did she change her mind?"

Dr. Komyou's eyes were very dark. "Because, the creature that rose out of the darkness was not her Cero. It was an enraged monster who feasted on the pain of the Kingdom's citizens. It killed the young prince, and his sister."

Sister..."

"The ghost?" Sora asked. Dr. Komyou looked confused.

"Ghost?" The boy nodded.

"I was brought here by a ghost who insisted I was her brother. Did Cero have a sister?" The doctor shook his head.

"No... the only siblings mentioned in the histories were those two."

"Wait a minute..." Sora crossed his arms and frowned. "If everybody died, who wrote all this?"

"I can only guess. It seems to be accurate enough. I've found proof of the happenings throughout the lower levels of the castle; I've found bodies trapped in shadow, sustained from the day of the fall. I believe it to be true. Who knows what scholar wrote down those atrocities." Dr. Komyou turned and continued walking through the dark hallway. After a moment Sora followed.

"How do we end all of this madness?" Sora finally asked, exasperated. "All this hate, and darkness... what do I do?"

"If you think opening the Door to Light is the answer, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"Well, I figured." Sora muttered. "Cause I already opened it once."

"Aha!" The Doctor clapped his hands. "I was hoping you'd say that." He turned away. "You did not open the door."

Sora's mouth fell open. The boy stomped his feet. "What the hell! Then what was all that trouble for!?"

Dr. Komyou held up his hands. "Peace. All shall be explained. You see, there are two doors."

Sora blinked. "Two... doors?"

The man nodded. He held up a finger. "The first door is the one you opened. That door counteracted the shadows in this universe, drove them back. But it alone is not enough. The opening of the second door will kill them forever." The two began walking again as the doctor explained.

"The first door is the place of bright light, yes, but it is not the source. It's like... hmm... it is the difference between going to a book store... or going to the factory where the books are made."

Sora frowned. "I really don't follow."

Sighing, the doctor tried again. "The first door houses the light. But the second door is where the light comes from. You must open both."

"All right, fine. I'll do that, okay, but you said that opening this door won't be enough." Sora added. The doctor nodded. Fog was rising around them now. Sora was getting a little nervous.

"To get rid of this beast, you must open it... and go through it."

"WHAT!?" Sora slid to a stop. "Go through it?"

"And come back again." The doctor confirmed. "Once you understand what the light is, the Keyblade shall be powerful enough to rid us of this beast, once and for all." The doctor motioned to the area ahead of them. "I brought you here first to show you what you're up against."

Sora glanced out into the dark murky fog. He squinted and still saw nothing.

The doctor held up a hand. "Fire." he whispered. A ball of flame appeared in his hand and lit up the cave.

Sora screeched, jumping and landing on his ass. He scooted away from the thing on the floor, eyes wide.

"It's - It's me!" Sora shouted. "But I'm dead! I'm... dead." Sora blinked, shocked by the horrible sight before him.

It was the body of a young teenager, an exact replica of Sora, twisted and contorted, sealed in shadow. It was trapped on the ground, covered in black soot. The face was still screaming, eyes wide; the arms were bent, legs turned painfully. This poor thing had suffered long and hard.

Sora repressed the urge to vomit.

"Sad, I know." The doctor murmured. Sora glanced up at him, very pale.

"Why show me?" He whispered.

"To show you that you do not fight a simple monster... but a tortured child." He sighed. "You are not just ending its evil ways... but also its miserable pain."

"Putting it out of its misery... huh?" Sora asked, glancing back at the thing. The man nodded though Sora didn't see.

The boy's eyes wandered around the cave, now that it was lit. Mostly it was simply empty, and very nasty; darkness was plastered against the cave walls. But, down the way, Sora could see something huddled against the wall.

Another poor soul trapped in shadow? Despite his churning stomach, Sora stood and approached it. He had to see, had to know the damage this terrible shadow could do.

The doctor followed him. "Ah, that one. I'd forgotten him. He is the poor young prince I told you of."

Sora glanced back. "The prince?"

"Yes, the very one who told Marina. He brought her here to try and find Cero, and became Cero's first victim." Dr. Komyou sighed, and glanced away from the huddled child.

Sora, though, forced himself to look upon it. This time, he could hardly keep from getting sick.

The boy was curled up against the wall, almost like he was about to go to sleep, but his face was twisted into a sad grimace, tears forever pouring from his eyes. He had been totally helpless, fed to the shadows without mercy. But what truly shook Sora to the core was the resemblance.

"He..." Sora spun around. "Hey, doctor. If I'm somehow like Cero... could other people be from this place too?"

The doctor was happy to explain. "When Cero was destroyed there was still some light in him. That light was freed, and eventually, reborn, as you."

Sora glanced down at himself. He was the light of that tortured soul? "But, that only happened to you because the Light was trying to rescue the beast from the darkness. It did not work totally. But no, no one else could have been saved in that way."

Glancing back at the boy, Sora stared hard at him. "They are definitely exactly the same." He insisted. Then he turned around. "Could he have become a nobody?"

The question surprised the scientist. "Well, uh... as with all nobodies, if he had the will..."

Sora dropped his eyes. "Then... he was that prince... and my dark side killed him..." A few tears dropped down Sora's face, and he wiped them away. But they kept coming. They wouldn't stop and Sora began to sob.

Dr. Komyou was at a loss for what to do, not quite understanding the waterworks. Sora clenched his fists.

"I'm... I'm that THING!" Sora shouted angrily. "I'm from that monster!"

"But, my boy - you are its light -"

"I destroyed this place! I killed so many people! Dragged them into darkness!" Sora screamed. He glanced at his hand, as tears blurred his vision. "And after all that, I had the guts to call myself Keyblade Bearer!?" Sora bit his lip to keep from sobbing.

The doctor was terribly confused. He hadn't spent much time around people, so despite his studies, he couldn't understand how Sora could blame himself for something a 'past self' did. It wasn't his fault, it was a past he had no control over.

But, he attempted to approach the boy and put a hand on his shoulder.

Sora ignored him, running past him back down the hall.

-=-=-

"Ahh!" Demyx ducked as another Heartless flew over his head. He glanced around for Xigbar, who he'd been trailing after like a helpless kid, when a pink blur raced towards him and then landed on the top of his head.

"Hi, Dum-dum!" Yachiru giggled. "Why aren't you fighting?"

"I can't fight anymore, how many times do I have to tell you psychos that?" The boy screeched as more Heartless began ganging up on him; Yachiru just cheered and sliced through them all with her Yachiru sized pink sword.

"You're a nuisance." A familiar deep voice bellowed; Demyx froze, and looked over his back to see Kenpachi in the thick of things, hacking and slashing like a maniac. "Why did you come if you aren't going to be a man and fight!?"

"Yeah! Be a man like Kenny!" Yachiru cheered, returning to her place on Kenpachi's shoulder.

"I couldn't stay behind when all my friends are fighting for their lives out here."

"Great." Kenpachi rolled his eyes. "Now their fighting for their lives and yours. You're useless, dead weight. I guess there are fools even I can't turn into men." The taller warrior sneered.

That one hurt; Demyx frowned; then, he saw a shadow lurching towards him. In a fit of anger, he kicked the thing as it flew towards him.

"All right! That's the spirit!" Yachiru cheered as Kenpachi smirked a little.

But, a moment later, it became apparent that the shadow had simply latched onto Demyx's foot, and was proceeding to climb up his leg. Demyx blanched, shivering.

"AHHHHHHHH! GET IT OFF!"

"That damn idiot pisses me off!" Kenpachi shouted, his rage driving him to kill more creatures. A yellow aura began to form around him. Yachiru cheered.

"Time for more fun!"

Further ahead in the wall of fighting stood Zexion and Lexaeus, who fought back to back against the monsters. Lexaeus slammed his mighty tomahawk into the ground, shaking the monsters apart, as Zexion cast spells against his enemies.

Vexen ran through the madness towards them, using his shield to keep the darkness at bay. "Zexion!" He shouted. The man turned to him. "We need a distraction immediately, something big!"

"An illusion?" The man asked. Vexen nodded.

"Miss Rinoa was knocked from the sky by a large cloud of them. She's still in there somewhere, and Leon's just about to leap in there after her. Do something to get those thing's attention, won't you?" Then, the man turned back to the creatures, casting more ice spells.

Zexion, eyes flaring, turned to the Heartless and their beady yellow eyes. "With pleasure." An illusion began to come to life before him; a giant machina-like creature, with red eyes and thick metallic limbs, standing over fifty feet high. Using his abilities to make it seem like the creature had a Heart of enormous proportions, all the Heartless turned towards it with hungry eyes.

As they did, Cid and Tifa finally let go of Leon, who immediately raced into the crowd of distracted creatures. "Rinoa!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, heart pounding. He was followed by Vincent, who remained in his demon form, patrolling the sky.

The sorceress was huddled on the ground, clothes ripped and bleeding from the fall, her wings fading away as the magic faded. Leon kneeled and cradled her head in his lap.

"Sorry... Squall..." She whispered, taking light hold of his hand. He grasped hers tightly, his face showing so many emotions it was shocking.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." he whispered. Rinoa chuckled a little.

"Of course not, sir." She joked. The joke didn't seem to amuse her lover. Leon just held her tighter.

The war went on around them, as the two lovers took a moment just to hold and be held.

-=-=-

It seemed like hours had passed in the dark with Sora and Dr. Komyou stuck in the library, and the teenager was still sulking. Most recently, he was annoyed and sad due to the fact that, though he'd tried very hard to, he could not make the Keyblade appear in his hand.

"It knows I don't deserve this." Sora insisted. "It won't come to me because it knows I'm not good... I'm not..."

"It won't come to you because you've lost yourself. What happened to your confidence, your strength? Where is your warrior heart?" The doctor asked with a deep sigh. "It will never return to you if you don't believe in yourself."

"You make it sound so easy." Sora glowered.

"That's because it is." The man gave a gentle smile. "You are not the evil one here. The Keyblade has been a part of you for years, it would know if you were not worthy. What makes you think you aren't worthy?"

The teen hesistated. Finally, he slowly moved to stand by the doctor.

"That thing made it sound like I was part of him. I've always had that shadow creature inside me, but it was part of me. Not the other way around. I wasn't just some glimmer of light left over from some monster freakshow." He sighed and glanced down. "I'm just a shadow of a shadow." And what did that make Roxas? Now Sora understood some of what his friend had felt.

He fell quiet, closing his eyes.

A hand closed over his shoulder and squeezed. "You do resemble him." The Doctor muttered. "Even your name... Sora, Cero, both terms that mean 'Sky'... but you are not a shadow of a shadow."

The teen still refused to look at him. Dr. Komyou sighed. Boys were so difficult! "That thing is all that's left of the sins of a society long since dead. Will you let it deem your worth for you?"

Sora glanced up and sighed. The doctor kept going.

"The Keyblade chose you for your heart and your light. No matter what, that Heartless does not define you. Being the son of a bad man will not make you inherently bad as well."

Sora moved away from the doctor, who removed his hand from his shoulder. The boy stepped forward, towards the direction of the Door to Light. He paused for a moment.

"I... have to go through it?" He asked.

The doctor nodded. "It is the way out. I've tried getting in it for years, but without the blade..." he trailed off. Sora glanced into the fog.

Unlike the darkness behind them, this fog seemed to hide something wonderful and beautiful from sight. It was almost begging him to walk forward, to see with his own eyes the door that led to the Center of the Universe.

Sora closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and took in a deep breath. "I'm ready." he whispered. He glanced over his shoulder at the doctor. "Let's go."

Dr. Komyou grinned. "After all these years..." Like a giddy child, he grabbed a notebook, a pen, and raced forward to join Sora.

The two began walking into them mist, not knowing the wonders that awaited them.

-=-=-

Ichigo Kurosaki hacked and slashed his way through the shadows with a personal vendetta. Anger and hate drove him to attack restlessly, shouting himself hoarse.

It was to this boy that the Source Heartless appeared, his eyes bright and malicious. Ichigo, unsure and confused at the sight of a Heartless that looked like a person, raised his sword to attack, when the creature spoke.

"**Welcome, Kurosaki**." The thing whispered darkly. "**I came here to thank you**."

"Thank me!?" Confused, Ichigo kept his sword at the ready. He noticed that the monsters had, for the moment, paused their attacks against him.

"**Of course. After all, I would've never been able to manifest outside of the castle if it weren't for your friends**." The thing grinned and the terrible smile took up half of his face.

"What the hell are you going on about?" Ichigo swung his sword out, slicing through a few Heartless; twice as many took their places.

"**Why, don't you remember, or have you already forgotten them**?" The thing let a tense silence pass for a few moments. "**Orihime Inoue, and Rukia Kuchiki**?"

Ichigo's heart caught in his throat. "W - What?"

The Heartless raised it's arms, and suddenly, from within its dark embrace, a body appeared. Rukia was a small, dark haired girl; the upper half of her body fell from the darkness, asleep, trapped within the beast's shadows. A bright light shined in the center of her chest.

"Rukia!" Ichigo leapt for her, but she disappeared back into the shadow, and the Source Heartless cackled with glee.

"**To be able to take a true form, I needed the heart of a Princess of Light, someone pure and kind, but I also needed a body. That was troublesome; the heartless do not absorb bodies when they take hearts. What luck for me then when I took your Orihime's heart, that little Rukia was brave enough to leap into the darkness after it? Brave, but foolish**." The thing laugh.

"Let them go!" Ichigo screamed, his rage showing through his shaking limbs and darkening eyes. The thing just kept laughing.

Ichigo roared and attacked, his eyes turning darker. The creature dodged every attack without fighting back, simply taunting his opponent. Ichigo's anger continued to rise as his emotions got the best of him; a different side of his personality was showing.

His voice became darker; his skin grew deathly pale. His eyes became pure black as a mask came to life on his face.

"**YES**!" The creature screamed. "**Another creature of darkness... shall we fight, mine kin**?" The monster bowed gracefully, still grinning.

Hollow Ichigo laughed too, then leapt in for the kill.

-=-=-

"So... this is it?"

A bit concerned and quite confused, Sora turned to the scholar with a questioning look. "But - it looks really -"

"The only way out of the darkness is through the light. Can you imagine?" The doctor raised his arms and sighed. "These seals have been here since the Before Time."

Sora looked up at the giant door. It was huge, almost thirty feet tall. Runes ran around the walls beside it, glowing all sorts of colors. Enormous chains ran over its surface, locking it shut, and one small, rusty padlock, rested near the ground.

"If its closed off like this, is it really supposed to be opened? I mean, why do that?"

"To keep the shadows from getting in." Dr. Komyou explained. "This door was sealed near the end of Cero's attack on the Fallen Kingdom. The city realized they were doomed, but to save the rest of existence, they sealed this door. Imagine, if true darkness had entered this doorway."

"So, you said there's a world on the other side." Sora asked. The doctor nodded. "This a world that's never known darkness?"

"Not darkness as you and I know it. Not a calamity that falls from the sky, nor monsters under the bed, no demons in the shadows. They know a different kind of darkness that comes from without, and within." When the scientist realized he was only confusing Sora, he motioned to the door. "Maybe you should see for yourself."

Sora turned and examined the door.

Go... into Kingdom Hearts? It sounded crazy. How were they supposed to go into the heart of all existence? And it was some sort of world? What kind of world would that be? Dr. Komyou seemed to know a lot about it, but Sora still wasn't sure.

"The two of us will be going where no one has ever gone." Dr. Komyou's words interrupted Sora's thoughts. The man smiled brightly like an excited child. His inner scientist was showing. "This is just... just brilliant!"

Sighing, Sora raised his hand, imagining the Keyblade in it. This time, it did appear. A small smile showed on Sora's face.

"This is it, Keyblade Bearer." The doctor grinned. "The moment the universe has been preparing for since the beginning of time."

This didn't seem to lift the boy's spirits. "Yeah... I just... wish it was a little different." He lifted the blade up and sighed. "I wish my friends were here."

"They are." Riku's father didn't elaborate but Sora understood. He stepped closer to the door.

Then he lifted the Keyblade, and aimed. "I'm ready." he whispered.

Dr. Komyou almost squealed. "This is it... I will finally go through the door... and be free!" He moved to Sora's side, as the teen took in a deep breath. He could hardly think straight. To calm himself, he began counting down...

"3..."

_(the end of all Heartless forever...)_

"2..."

_(we're actually going to the center of the universe...)_

"1..."

_(Kingdom Hearts... this is it!)_

As with every other door or gateway the Keyblade had opened, a beam of light erupted from the end and shot through the air, hitting the lock. This time, when it did so, the entire room rumbled like an earthquake, and the chains on the door rattled like thunder.

"Is this supposed to be happening?" Sora shouted over the noise. Rocks fell from the ceiling; the walls began to crack.

"Since I've never opened the door to the heart of all worlds, I truly don't know!" Dr. Komyou shouted frantically. More boulders fell to the ground, as the two moved towards the door.

The chains fell from the doorway and faded into light, as the giant doors began creaking open, slowly but surely. The sound of their opening resonated through the hallway.

Behind them the entire hall, and likely the library further back, was collapsing, falling in upon itself. Sora and Dr. Komyou looked at the disaster, and then back at each other.

"Only one way out." Sora muttered. The doctor nodded.

So, the two ran from the falling debris, towards the barely opened door. It was opened just enough for Sora to sidestep through. The boy disappeared in a flash of light. The doctor hesistated.

For a mere moment, Dr. Komyou glanced back at the place that had been his haven and his prison for so many years. With one final sigh, he ran through the door without looking back.

The falling rocks closed the way behind them.

-=-=-

**Hello, it's been a long time.**

**Once again I apologize for the delay; but the rest of this story is entirely written, so you won't have to wait long for more updates. I'm just changing a few things before posting them.**

**I'm afraid that, recently, my grandmother passed away. I want to dedicate this chapter, this story, and the entire Axelerate series to her. She lived with me for four years, and throughout that time, would play Kingdom Hearts with me. She didn't mind if I played for hours on end, she would just watch. Once I remember asking her opinion of the "handsome men" of Kingdom Hearts. She didn't like Cloud, but both Sephiroth and Leon were "fine looking". XD I loved those times with her.**

**Love you granny, thanks for playing with me.**

**SULHADAHNE**

**PS The new KH game looks really cool. I can't wait till I get it; I've almost got all the money saved up. 8D**


	27. A Warrior Lost

Riku hadn't fought so many Heartless since Sora had closed the Door to Darkness on himself and the king. No matter what he did, more and more kept coming; if he killed one, two or three took its place.

As he glanced around, he saw that was the truth all around him. Everyone was being swarmed by monsters, and it was getting to them. If Sora didn't hurry up, the warriors were going to be overrun by Heartless.

"Sora..." Riku muttered. How much he'd loved to be with his friend then. Imagines of the bright smile tore at his heart. It drove him to keep fighting despite the helpless odds.

"Hiyah!" A shout came from behind him; Riku glanced back and grinned when he saw Cid. "Hey, kid!"

Riku couldn't help but laugh at the feisty captain who, despite the fact that there was mostly darkness and not much reality in this place, still managed to become covered in dirt and grime as if he'd been rolling in mud. 

"How are you Captain?" Riku asked, slicing through opponents.

"Fucking fantastic!" With another cheer, the man raced back into the fray, spear covered in the "blood" of Heartless.

Riku shook his head and returned to fight. He heard cheers and battle cries all around, but none of them drove him to fight more like Cid's energetic, childlike shouts.

As he kept fighting, Riku suddenly felt a chill race through him. Being once connected to the Heartless, he could sometimes still feel them. Now... they were pulsing; changing.

Before he could shout a warning, the Heartless began, in groups, to converge. A few small Heartless became one, growing in height, becoming beasts that towered over some of the tallest of the fighters. The one before Riku stood at ten feet, with hulking arms and legs, the shape of a heart cut out of its chest. Taken by surprise, the giant arm of the brute smashed into Riku's side and he flew through the air.

"CID!"

Startled by the cry, Riku glanced up from his fallen position.

Fear made his heart stop.

Three of the towering beasts had Cid surrounded, and the man was limping on a broken leg. Every step made his face contort in pain, but he kept going, screaming and cursing his brave battle cry, spear high in the air. He plunged it into the shoulder of one and pulled it though the neck, beheading it - but the head grew back.

One of the beasts behind him raised an arm, and the arm morphed into a very, very sharp point. Another approached and did the same. The two were preparing to skewer Cid from behind and the pilot was in too much pain to notice, too busy fighting the two in front of him -

"CID!" Riku shouted. He struggled to stand, but the little Heartless were swarming him, climbing all over him, and he was flailing to get them off; he had to get up, had to help Cid -

Through the madness, Aerith paused in her battle, her staff still raised to block one creature's downward blow. Her green eyes widened in horror as the beasts cornered Cid, and the pilot began falling to his knees, no longer able to support his weight. Despite the fact his beloved spear had been carelessly tossed aside by the beasts, he kept fighting with his fists. A brawler to the end.

Her scream echoed through the area as she ducked under the arm of the beast she was fighting, racing past all the monsters carelessly. She dodged heroes and villains, without even watching her back. The Heartless were getting closer to Cid... and closer...

The woman pushed her legs to move faster, and faster, she was so close...

She became a blur as she passed Cloud Strife, who only realized it was her from the smell of her favorite flowers passing by him on the wind. He turned mid fight to see her racing towards the helpless Cid, who was getting closer and closer to inevitable death.

Screaming in rage, Cloud joined the race to the pilot, following after Aerith. But, suddenly, a giant shadow fell over Cloud, and the man glanced up.

It was Zexion's illusion of a Machina, a giant robotic creature, which had finally succumbed to the Heartless. Though an illusion it was utterly real for the moment, and the heroes dashed to get out of the way of it's fall. Cloud leapt out of the way just in time, but he had no way of knowing if Aerith had gotten away in time.

He didn't stop to think; he leapt on top of the machina, racing across its Heartless infested surface to get to Cid and Aerith. It was a mistake, as the thick swarm quickly latched on to Cloud and wouldn't let go. The man screamed and began fighting, his giant sword cutting through swathes of them, but there were too many.

From his spot on the machine, Cloud looked up and saw a more horrify predicament than before.

Cid hadn't been killed, no, but the monster had almost stabbed through his skull; instead, it brushed his neck, slicing open a very important artery. Blood spewed from the wound in torrents as the man fell prone upon the floor.

Aerith was now fighting off all five creatures on her own, defending herself and the fallen man, while trying to use her magic to seal his wound before it was too late. It was too much to do at once; she only just managed to dodge fatal blows each time. The beasts cut her arms, her legs, brushed her torso. Her hair fell from its tie, her clothing became ripped and bloodied. Cid was still lying on the floor, dying very quickly.

In that instant, driven by fear and rage, Cloud hit his limit, and began glowing a blue color. Leaping into the air, the man raised his sword with a violent scream; when he cut downward, magic summoned dozens of meteor like rocks that flew, blazing, towards the dark monsters below. As his opponents were decimated, Cloud fell back to the ground, and raced to his friends. He had to make it; he had to make it!

"Alucard!" Abel shouted over the blasting noise. The priest raced to the vampire. "Alucard, that man -"

"I smell it." Alucard's eyes flared; he glanced at his master.

"Go!" The woman shouted. In an instant, Alucard disappeared.

Aerith hit one of the creatures upon the head with her staff, then turned with a roar to another, bashing its side so that it flew into its allies. More approached; she stabbed through its chest, but when she went to pull her staff back out, it stuck. The girl's breath caught; she wrenched it again and nothing happened. It slid deeper into the darkness, disappearing.

Taking it in stride, Aerith turned and punched the nearest monster. While not quite like Tifa, Aerith still packed some heat; she kicked one monster into another, fought again and again, even as they came ever closer, never stopping -

Aerith, out of the corner of her eye, saw a few Heartless sneaking towards Cid, and screamed. "NO!" She stomped at them, kicked them, and kneeled by Cid. Hands on his broken leg and bleeding neck, she gave up fighting; She threw up a strong barrier around them and began to heal.

The leg healed quickly, but the magic of keeping up the barrier and healing such a strong wound was taking too much out of Aerith. It couldn't be healed by her magic. She was already running low, and wounded rather badly herself. Blood oozed from a cut on her forward. The girl began to sob as she Cid's still awake, cloudy blue eyes smile at her.

"Cid! No!" She couldn't heal him - she wasn't strong enough - she couldn't save him!

Aerith kept the barrier over Cid, she could at least keep him from becoming the prey of the Heartless. Then, she stood, and enraged, rushed at the monsters. She tackled one, beating it senselessly, and kicked another one. They began falling back, but more came. She kept fighting - she kept fighting!

"Aerith!"

She heard Cloud's call and kept fighting, tears streaming down her face. Her vision was cloudy, her limbs going numb - she threw a punch that was too weak, and her fist became trapped in the darkness.

In one horrible instant Aerith and the creature met eyes. She knew what was coming.

"AERITH!"

The creature's hand became a sharp point, and it thrust through Aerith's chest - her head fell back, mouth open with a silent scream, choking on blood.

In the next instant Cloud was upon them, hacking and slashing at the beast that held Aerith. He freed her from its grasp and cradled her, then rushed to Cid. The barrier had shattered as soon as Aerith had been stabbed through. Cloud defended his two dying friends, as Tifa, Leon, and Riku raced towards him to fight.

They drove off the creatures, as Cloud kneeled and cradled Aerith, his hand going over her chest. He attempted healing magic, but he could see the light fading from her eyes. He put another hand over Cid's neck - nothing was happening.

"No! No! Not again! Not... not more friends... not you... again..." Though he mourned both of them, Cloud looked into Aerith's eyes.

She was smiling. Her hand weakly grasped Cloud's, and she kept smiling. Cloud shook his head.

Suddenly, a red figure appeared nearby; Alucard stormed towards them, rushing first to the almost dead pilot on the floor. Before Cloud could do anything, the vampire kneeled and clamped his lips upon the man's neck.

 "What! What are you doing!? Get off of him!"

_Calm down, boy. I'm saving his life. He will be as human as he was before when I am done._

The deep voice in his head didn't calm Cloud, but hope erupted in Cloud's heart. "Can - Can you save her?"

_I can._

Suddenly Aerith shook her head violently, blood trailing down her lips. A painful gasp erupted from Cloud's throat.

_You wish to pass on? You do not want to be saved? _The vampire whispered in their minds. He had let go of Cid's neck; the wound was almost closed. Before it closed completely, Alucard lifted his arm and cut his wrist, placing the bleeding wound against the man's neck. Cid's body jumped, he groaned slightly, but Alucard held him against him to keep him from moving.

"Pass on peacefully, young one." Alucard muttered to Aerith now that he could speak, Cid's blood flowing over his lips.

"Aerith..." Cloud whispered painfully. Aerith tried to reach up and place a finger upon Cloud's lips, but was unable to. Nor could she speak.

But Cloud understood, and he knew why. That made it no less painful, but he knew it was what she wanted.

"Thank you... for giving me the time that you did." He whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. Her lips moved as if to chuckle, but only blood came out. Still, Cloud could hear the beautiful, bell like laugh in his mind. He could never forget it. A brush of someone else's consciousness hit Cloud's mind, and for the last time, he heard her voice.

_Thank you... for loving me._

So he held her, cradled her against his chest, and she smiled, before closing her bright green eyes forever.

-=-=-

When Sora opened his eyes, he stood in a large, dispersed crowd of people, in front of a statue surrounded by flowers. Behind him was a towering blue and white castle; in front of him, a street full of shops, bakeries, and stores. To the left and right were pathways full of people, family groups laughing and seemingly very happy.

For a moment he blinked, trying to get use to his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that he was different. In awe, the boy glanced down; his usual clothes were not there. Instead, he was wearing black converses, dark blue jeans with rips in the knees with a studded belt around his waist. A simply black tank top covered his chest, and his usual necklace hung around his neck. Was it just him or were his feet smaller?

Suddenly the boy's hands flew to his hair. It was... flatter. Instead of extremely spiky, it was just sort fluffy, and it was spiked up at the base of the neck on the back of his head.

What was going on? Was this place... Kingdom Hearts?

Everyone seemed happy enough. Maybe they were the people who lived in the Light of the Universe. Sora's eyes wandered the area until something quickly caught his eye. He gawked.

"NO WAY!" Racing around the statue, he came to the front, kneeling over the edge of the flowers in surprise.

In the center of this raised garden stood a tall man in a suit, his hand gesturing toward the surroundings. His other hand reached down and was holding the hand of the one, the only, King Mickey. It was an exactly replica of him, other than the clothes. It was... really strange.

"The King?" Sora muttered. "Has he been here?" Sure, the King kept secrets sometimes, but he wouldn't keep something like that a secret, would he?

"King?" Sora spun around, heart leaping out of his chest. The boy blinked. "What King?"

It was a little girl, with pigtails, wearing blue jeans and a pink shirt. She smiled at Sora, who looked nervous.

"Uh... you know... King Mickey?" He asked. The girl's eyes went wide.

"You mean, like in Kingdom Hearts?" The girl cheered, excited by the idea. Sora didn't really understand what she meant.

"Uh... I guess?"

The girl's excited look faded. "You don't know what Kingdom Hearts is?" She asked with a pout.

"Is it... uh... this place?" He asked. The girl huffed and rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand.

"Come on, I'll show you!"

Sora tried to protest, but the girl held tight on his hand. With a determined smile, she dragged him into the crowd of people, down the street of shops. He kept looking around as she pulled him - did he just see Aladdin in one of the windows? And hey! - was that Ariel? Beast?

 Was he seeing things? He thought he'd seen... dolls? Carvings? Of his friends?

The girl pulled him through a doorway; the guard at the door smiled and nodded his head in respect to her. He saw the boy she was pulling along and eyed him suspiciously, but let him pass.

"Okay, where's your ticket?" The girl asked.

"Ticket?" Sora wondered. What did he need a ticket for? The girl blinked.

"If you don't have a ticket, how'd you get in?"

"Get in where!?" Damn, this girl was confusing!

"You didn't sneak in did you? You'll get in trouble!" She gasped. "I'd better tell them you're with me!"

Sora had never been so confused in his life.

-=-=-

After the girl got Sora a ticket for something, she had him get on a train with him. He hadn't even known it was a train at first; it didn't look anything like the ones from Twilight Town! It was sleek, metallic, and it went really, really fast! When it first got going, it scared the hell out of him, and the little girl had laughed at him.

"I'm Molly by the way." She grinned. "I come here all the time. I get into most stuff free cause my mom works here and she can't afford a babysitter right now."

Sora had stopped trying to make sense of most of what the girl said at this point. Instead, he worried about Dr. Komyou, who hadn't shown up. Should Sora have stayed at the statue? Or had the doctor come through the door and ended up somewhere else?

Eventually they got off the train, and Sora was dragged again. They went underneath a giant replica of Yen Sid's hat (which was really strange), and then he was dragged into a building which had a title above it.

"The Life of ... Walt Disney? Who's that?"

The guards at the door laughed, thinking Sora was being sarcastic. He wasn't.

The girl pulled him inside.

"Duh! Walt Disney built this place! He founded Disney Studios, everyone knows that." The girl huffed. Sora pretended to understand.

"Uh huh..."

The building was a sort of museum and tribute to the man Walt Disney, who had apparently built the place that Sora was being dragged around in. The little girl pulled Sora into a theater room, where people were sitting down to watch a movie.

"What are we doing?" Sora finally asked. The girl shushed him, and pointed at the movie screen.

Sighing, Sora crossed his arms and looked at the giant TV. What the hell was going on?

The screen flared to life, and Sora tried to ignore it. But, somehow, he found himself watching it, enjoying it, and being totally shocked by it.

The movie told of the life of one Walt Disney who had, on a train ride, invented "Mortimer Mouse", a cartoon character. Later, he was called Mickey Mouse, and was used for making children's cartoons. He became a phenomenon. Over the years, more cartoons were made about - about -

About Snow White, and Cinderella, and the Beast, and Aladdin and Jasmine, and Ariel, and Simba, and ... and...

Almost everybody Sora had ever met!

Gawking at the screen, Sora watched as the documentary told him all about how this man had "invented" these "characters" for children's cartoons and movies! In a strange mix of awe, fascination, and horror, he stayed stock still through the whole film.

After it was done, the boy sat still staring blankly at the screen. The little girl pulled at his hand.

"Come on, you haven't seen Kingdom Hearts yet!"

He wasn't sure he wanted to.

Still, the girl pulled him outside. In the second half of the building were small windows depicting more about his life, with plaques describing them. There were very many. Sora walked like a zombie with the girl as she lead him through the exhibit.

"This one's about how he died. One day he was leaving work, and instead of saying 'See you tomorrow', he said 'Goodbye' to his friends. He'd never done that before." The girl frowned. "Then he died. Really sad huh?"

Sora thought it was sad, but was too caught up in his own confusion to do anything but nod. It was only going to get worse as they went on.

The girl pulled him to more panels. "These are about the future of Disney and what they're doing now. And done here... video games!"

Sora's heart stopped, his breath caught, and his jaw dropped. His eyes were saucers. Nothing he'd seen up till that point had shocked him so. "Oh my god..."

 He was looking at the replica of a child's bedroom. On the walls were posters - _of him_. Of him, and his friends! A TV was hooked up to a game system, and on the screen were images of him, and his friends, fighting and laughing and crying too. Everything in the room had his face, or Riku's, or Kairi's, or Roxas's, or Axel's on it. It was like a geek's room... but it was a geek obsessed with them!

"What's going on!?" He shouted. "This - this can't be Kingdom Hearts! This is a nightmare!"

"What are you talking about! I love this game! It's the best ever!" The girl shouted back. "Take it back you meanie!"

"Take what back!?" he shouted. "You don't make any sense!"

"You don't make any sense!"

"Hey!" A guard walked over. He glared at Sora. "You need some help, Molly?"

The little girl shook her head. "My friend's just being stupid."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

The guard had to chuckle at them, but then nodded to the door. "Well, I'm afraid you'll both have to take it outside."

-=-=-

"I can't believe you got us kicked out." Molly pouted.

Sora was ignoring her. He was deeply troubled, very stressed out, and totally confused. He wanted to go home.

Molly seemed to notice his sad demeanor, and frowned. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." The boy didn't seem to hear her. "Hey, I said I'm sorry."

"All right, already, me too." He muttered as he stood and stretched. The girl watched.

"So, what's your name?" She asked. Sora yawned.

"I'm Sora." He said without a thought. Then, thinking back to what he'd just seen, he realized that had probably been a mistake.

"You can't be Sora!" The girl stood and shouted. "He's always nice and he helps people! You're just a bully!"

"I am not!" Sora shouted. "And you're a brat!"

The two fell silent, glaring angrily at one another. Finally Sora realized he was being stupid and shook his head. "You know what? I don't know what I'm even doing, following you. I have to find some answers, not to mention Dr. Komyou." Shaking his head, Sora turned and walked away.

Molly's angry faced melted away into sadness. "Wait! Don't go!" She raced forward and grabbed Sora's hand. "Please!"

Huffing, Sora tried to glare at her, but she used puppy eyes. He felt his reluctance falter. With a sigh he said, "I'm sorry, but I'm really lost, and I've got to find my friend."

"I can help! I know this park backwards, forwards, upwards, downwards!" The girl cheered.

Sora realized that it was definitely true that she knew this place better than he did. _She calls this place... a 'park'?_

So, begrudgingly, Sora decided to stay with the girl. "You'll help me look for him?" He asked. Happily, Molly nodded.

"We'll go look in my favorite place first!" She cheered. Grabbing Sora's hand, she pulled him away from the bench, towards the front of the park again. "Let's go! To Epcot!"

-=-=-

On another fast, stomach churling train, they rode, until they came within sight of a giant golf ball. At least, that was what it looked like. Sora stared in fascination as the train slowed to a stop near the giant monument.

"That's Spaceship Earth." The girl smiled and pointed. Sora's jaw dropped once again. That was becoming a habit of his.

"That's a Spaceship!?" He muttered dumbly.

"No! Not a real one!" The girl walked towards the train's exit. "A real one would be loads bigger."

As Sora tried to absorb that information, he followed her outside of the train.

They stepped off of the train platform and came into a garden of rocks, all inscribed with people's names. There were a lot of them, standing before the giant globe.

"Is this a monument?" He asked.

"Not really. People can buy a part of the rock and have their name put down. It's just for fun." Molly ran past these rocks towards the Epcot entrance, and Sora trailed after.

Pay money to put your name on a rock? For fun? These people were weird.

When they came underneath the giant globe, Sora looked up at it in awe. It really did look like a giant golf ball. Molly saw his expression and pointed at it.

"Wanna ride it?" She asked.

The boy blinked. "Ride? You can go inside that thing?" Molly nodded and motioned for him to follow.

"Come on!"

-=-=-

It took time to get inside the giant machine, as there was a line, and Sora was kinda surprised that they were allowed in without having to pay, show a ticket, or something. How was it that none of these people realized he wasn't one of them? He didn't think he blended in that well, and he was a nervous wreck. Why didn't anyone notice?

Once inside, Molly and Sora were directed to a cart to ride in. They waited while everyone else got into their carts, and Sora's eyes examined the inside. Amazing; the giant ball was built just for entertainment. These people had a lot of time and money on their hands.

Then, Sora thought about it, and realized, there was no darkness in their world. That must've been why. With no demons, monsters, or Heartless to terrorize them, their world must be a utopian society. Everyone was probably happy and wealthy. No wonder they had a giant ball just for riding in, rocks to write names on for fun, and a huge theme park the size of the Destiny Islands.

The ride began, and it started by driving through the stars. Sora, for a moment, was reminded of all his trips in the gummi ship. It quickly moved on, and treated Sora to a fast track of Human History; he learned that the world he was on was called Earth, and that it had a LOT of technology. By the time the ride was over, Sora knew how men had gone from Cavemen to Greeks who knew math to the Industrial Revolution, to the present day.

Sora was shell shocked. _He _certainly hadn't "evolved" from some sort of monkey. What the hell were these people? Scientific experiments?

When they stepped back out into the light, Molly pointed out into the park, at the center of which was a large lake. "Welcome to the World Showcase!"

World...? Sora put two and two together and realized it must be like a park dedicated to all the different worlds. But wait... Kingdom Hearts was just the one world, Earth, right?

"What is the World Showcase?" Sora asked Molly.

Coughing into her curled fist, as if a mighty scholar, she explained, "The World Showcase is a way to look at some of the countries of the world. It shows what they're like."

Sora looked out and wondered,_ a country_?

"What's a country?"

Molly pondered with a frown. "It's uh... it's like a place full of people that's different than where we're from. It's another place people live, but different."

"So this world has all these different places in it!" Sora murmured in awe.

"More than that. They couldn't fit all the countries in here!" Molly laughed at Sora's silliness, and then motioned for him to follow. "Come on! I wanna show you Japan!"

Sora knew he was supposed to be looking for Dr. Komyou, and that he hadn't seen the first clue of him, but the boy knew he was going to follow Molly. He had to know more about this strange place, and she was the only connection he had.

-=-=-

Blood was streaming down Kairi's left arm, where a deep cut traveled from her upper shoulder towards her elbow. Harry had managed to seal it up mostly, but she still suffered from the earlier blood loss. Her vision was slightly blurry from that, and the tears that remained unshed in her eyes. Kairi refused to let herself mourn yet - not yet. She still had to survive.

Harry stood at her back, his cloak ripped and almost destroyed, his glasses cracked. Spell after spell erupted from his wand, blowing monsters back, as Kairi switched back and forth from elemental magic to physical blows.

"That girl, she was your friend?" Harry managed to ask over the commotion. Kairi bit her lip, and managed to reply with a yes.

"She was - like a mother to me. I really looked up to her." Kairi was immensely pleased that she managed to say that without sobbing. She turned her sadness into rage and pummeled the next Heartless to leap at her.

Harry, for a moment, was overwhelmed as four of them attacked him at once, one spearing his leg with a sharp point. The boy screamed, but continued his spells, as Kairi leapt around and bashed at the monster on his leg.

It fell through the air, but the dark skewer remained in Harry's leg. Before anything could be done, the thing morphed, and dove beneath Harry's skin.

"Shit!" The girl screamed. She took care of a few other monsters, Harry's spells flying over her shoulder, before kneeling by his leg. "Forgive me for this."

She ripped at his pants leg, and saw the skin below it. The wound was still open and bleeding, but now the edges were black; his skin was turning black as well.

"Shit, shit!" She screamed.

"What's happening?" Harry asked, voice tinged with pain. He kept firing spells, but was having difficultly defeating them all without Kairi's aid.

 The girl stood back up and sliced through the three nearest Heartless. "Vexen!" She shouted, eyes scanning the area. "Vexen!"

The scientist did not hear her, but someone above did. Suddenly, six of the nearby monsters were skewered by purple spears raining from the sky, which formed a protective cage around Kairi and the wizard. Then, the spear's owner descended from the sky.

"Xaldin!" Kairi shouted. "Please, find Vexen! Harry's been poisoned!" She removed more of the cloth around the wound, and Xaldin examined the black darkness beneath the boy's skin.

"I'll take the boy to him, can you last a few minutes alone?" He asked. Harry was still confused, and interrupted them.

"What's happened to my leg? It's just a stab wound... right?" Harry asked bewildered. "What's this 'poison'?"

Xaldin shook his head. "I'm afraid you are in grave danger if we don't get you help, now, boy." He held out his arms to the boy. "Come with me."

"I won't leave her!" Harry glanced at Kairi.

"I'll be fine. You're the one in trouble." She comforted. Still, the determined boy fought going. Green eyes met green eyes for a moment.

"Promise me you'll be fine." Harry insisted.

"I'll be fine."

Then, with a nod, Harry allowed Xaldin to pick him up; a moment later, Xaldin took to the air, and his six spears followed him.

Kairi raised her blade again, ready for the battle. She was eager to take out vengeance against these monsters. Vengeance for Harry... vengeance for the flower girl.

-=-=-

By the time Molly and Sora arrived at the Japan part of the World Showcase, Sora had been given a taste of some of the greatest countries of the world, from China to Germany to Italy. They were all so different; it was like this Earth world had bunches of little worlds within it.

When they entered Japan, drum beats could be heard, echoing from the tall pagoda tower at the entrance. Molly led him past the tower into the back, where a large store was located.

"This is my favorite part." Molly grinned. "They sell Final Fantasy action figures in here!"

Sora's stomach plummeted; more of the weird, freaky versions of his friends? He really, really didn't want to see that. But, Molly dragged him, and he went along.

Inside the store were aisles and aisles of Japanese merchandise; Sora was pulled along past little Buddha statues and paintings of Geishas towards the cashieres.

They came to an area full of Japanese anime merchandise, which made Molly grin even wider.

Near the front were a bunch of shelves of action figures. Sora's stomach churned when he saw a replica of him sitting on the shelf. Then, his eyes wandered; he saw Cloud, and Vincent, and Sephiroth even! But the boxes were different. His box said "Kingdom Hearts"... their boxes said "Final Fantasy". What was the difference?

Other than the action figures, he could see more merchandise of other friends: a keychain of Inuyasha that was disarmingly adorable; boxes of "Yu Gi Oh" cards with Yugi's face on them. He saw Ichigo and his friend Urahara on the cover of a book, which he walked over and picked up.

It was a comic book, and from the look of it, there was a lot of fighting. He really didn't get what was happening, so he set the book back down.

Then, as he did so, something caught Sora's eye. He stepped back towards the shelves of action figures. Behind him, Molly ran about humming happily, looking at all the wonderful things to buy. Slowly, tentatively, with wide eyes, Sora reached out to pick up the action figure that had caught his eye.

It was the only one left of this particular type. Molly noticed what he was doing, and ran over.

Sora's hand trembled slightly as he looked at the figure. Why... why was it affecting him so?

"Oh, that's Aerith." Molly said. "She's my favorite. Her story is really sad."

Images Sora hadn't seen flashed through his mind; he could see the battle his friends were having, he could hear Aerith's screams of "Cid!" It was all blurry, faded, watching Aerith run through the crowd of monsters.

"In the game, her world ends up in big trouble, and she tries to save it. The world gets saved, but she sacrifices her life to do it." Molly frowned sadly, rocking back and forth on her feet.

_Sacrifice...?_

Sora could see Aerith and Cid, cornered by the Heartless; Cid bleeding to death on the ground, Aerith fighting, weaponless, to defend him. He watched as Aerith finally was overwhelmed, as Cloud and the others showed up just too late.

Molly looked up in shock at Sora. "Why are you crying?"

Growling, Sora threw the Aerith figure at the ground and stormed towards the doors. The cashier was shouting at him. "Young man!"

He could hear Molly apologizing for him as he stormed out.

He couldn't help it; his chest was shaking, nose running, sobs trying to escape from his throat. Running to the lake he screamed in agony, ignoring the attention from others. He slammed his fist against the railing around the lake, hung his head, and cried.

Why...? Why...? Why was he here, running around aimlessly, while back home his friends were _dying_!?

"I should've been there," He whispered, his voice broken by sobs and gasping. "I - I should've - _been_ - there..."

Quiet footsteps approaching him from behind. Molly slowly came to stand beside Sora, hands on the railing. She was just barely taller than the rails.

"I'm sorry I've been bothering you." The girl whispered quietly. Sora glanced at her with red eyes.

"You're aren't - aren't... you're not a b - bother." He whispered, wiping his nose with his hand.

The girl set her chin on the rail. "What's wrong?" She murmured.

Sora bit his lip, tried to control his emotions. But he'd always been an emotional person, and something like this... he couldn't hold it in.

"I, uh... a friend... a friend... passed away." He whispered the last two words like they were taboo. It hurt so much just to say it out loud.

The little girl didn't seem surprised by his admission. Instead, she glanced out over the lake, eyes tearing up herself. Sora continued to sob quietly, head down, gripping the rails tight.

"My daddy died." The girl whispered. Sora looked up at her. Tears were in her eyes but they remained unshed. "He died in the war last year."

War? Sora wondered. Why would a world with no darkness have a war?

"There was... a war?" He asked.

The little girl no longer seemed surprised that Sora didn't know anything. Instead, she waited a moment, standing up again, putting her feet on the bottom rail so she could stand on it and be taller.

"Daddy was in the army. He said that when I was just a baby, bad men attacked our country. They killed a lot of people. So we went to war." The little girl explained in her simplified logic. "But, last year, Daddy went back to war and he... the bad guys got him." A tear rolled down her cheek, but her voice remained steady. "They brought... brought him back in a big box, with a flag on it. They all saluted him. All of mom's friends say he was a hero, but... but... I don't want a hero." She whispered. "I want a daddy."

Sora put a hand on the girls shoulders as she finally let the tears roll. He kneeled beside her as she wiped her eyes with her little hands. "My friend died to save one of my other friends... she was a hero too. But... I really wish she hadn't been so selfless. I wish for once she'd be a little selfish, not so... saint like! So... oh, Aerith..." Sora didn't notice the slip up, but the little girl looked at him with wide eyes. She said nothing.

They stayed by the lake for a while, just watching the shimmering water.

"Does this place... have darkness?" Sora finally asked. He didn't really expect the child to know the answer, but she was the only person he had to ask.

"Darkness? Like, what?"

"You know... monsters, ... evil." Sora repeated.

The little girl nodded. "Yeah. There's a lot of bad people."

But... Sora frowned. How could the people be bad if there was no darkness. If it was just a world of Light... why wasn't everyone good, happy? Basking in the light of Kingdom Hearts?

Why...?

-=-=-

It seemed like the never ending storm of monsters was getting bigger, not smaller, as they killed more and more creatures. Leon kept fighting, and he tried not to think of the injuries. He tried not to think of Aerith's body, growing colder, as Cloud clung to it; he didn't think of Cid, being healed by the vampire, blood pouring from his throat; nor of Rinoa, her back bloodied, lying face down somewhere with with Yuna healing her.

He killed the monsters four and five at a time with his blade, shouting some with giant balls of fire, slicing through others. His pain became anger that he took out on the enemy.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another creature flying towards him. He turned to attack it, but before he could, someone leapt through the air with two daggers and cut it to pieces.

"Don't worry! I've got your back!" The stranger said. He looked like a teenager with his broad grin, and... was that a tail?

"Thanks for the help." Leon murmured, returning to the battle.

The stranger gave him a thumbs up. "I never need a reason to help people." With that, the teen disappeared into the crowd of enemies, his tail dancing about happily.

Only a moment later, another dorky blonde came within Leon's few. The man rolled his eyes when Demyx raced towards him, hands over his head, and ducked behind the taller man.

"You're useless, you know that!?" Leon usually wouldn't have been so harsh, but it had been a very harsh day.

"I know! I don't even know why I'm here!" The blonde whimpered and dodged another Heartless attack. He almost stood up, but then Leon roared and swept his blade all around him in a circle. Demyx squealed and ducked back down, almost barely missing his own beheading. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden, but what can I do?"

"You can fight!"

"I don't have any way to fight! I'll die!" The boy bit his lip, truly afraid for his life. The elder man, though usually sympathetic, lost all sympathy. He'd been in enough life or death situations to lose his pity for someone so pathetic.

In the middle of the battle, with enemies on all sides, Leon turned on the kneeling boy, grabbed his collar and hoisted him to his feet.

"Listen to me," He muttered, face to face with the shorter blonde. "In my life, I've seen good people die. I've seen children face death with a braver face than you. People who knew that nothing they did would change their fate and they fought back anyway. You use to be strong. What happened to the man who attacked Sora, Donald and Goofy on Radiant Garden and sent them home soaking wet and dotted with blood and bruises?"

"Just today, I lost one of the closest friends I've ever had. You know why she died?" There were actually tears in his eyes, but they remained unshed. "She died defending a friend. Surrounded on all sides, bleeding from wounds, lost her weapon. She kept fighting. The man she was defending had been fighting weaponless with a broken leg before he was stabbed in the neck. They were near to helpless and on the verge of death. And they. Kept. Fighting."

Then, Leon threw Demyx to the ground, which he hit with his back hard, and then turned and dealt with the nearest enemies with one fell swoop. "Get out of my sight!" Leon shouted. Now, Demyx could hear the sadness in his voice. The man was close to sobbing.

But Demyx didn't move. He remained on the ground, his elbows supporting him, staring at the leader's back in shock. Someone... had died? Really died? Like... gone forever?

Leon kept fighting, hacking away with his gunblade, as if nothing was wrong, but Demyx noticed something. He couldn't see the man's face, but he saw a small speck of light splash against the ground. Then another, then two more.

Despite his agony, the man kept fighting. They were all wounded, weak, many mourning over the loss they suffered. But they still kept fighting no matter what.

And here was little, useless number nine, running around looking to the others for protection. Even Xigbar would be ashamed of him. Especially Xigbar.

An image of the man appeared in his head, and Demyx tried to think of the advice his mentor would give him. He could think of nothing. He just kept staring at the puddle of tears which kept growing bigger.

Then a different man appeared in his mind: _ Stop whining, get off your ass, and fight like a fucking man!_ The Kenpachi in his mind screamed.

Demyx continued staring at the tears. Suddenly, he sat up straight, mouth dropped.

_Did they just move?_

The boy kept watching; he felt something flutter in his soul. The tears were certainly, definitely moving. No, not just moving: _dancing._

With a broad grin the boy leapt to his feet and gave a happy holler. Leon looked back at him, surprised to see such a joyous look on his face.

His surprise became joy when he saw Demyx stretch out his hands and summon a familiar blue sitar.


	28. Tidal Wave

"Oi! Xigbar!" Axel shouted to his teammate as his circular weapons dashed through the air, slicing through Heartless and leaving fire in their wake.

"Whaddya want, kid?" The man was currently leaping through the air, shooting creature after creature, having one hell of a time.

"Just thought you'd want to know about a certain blonde who's strumming his sitar right about now." Axel smirked when Xigbar suddenly slid to a halt mid air.

"Who's that now?" The man turned, his one eye wide, and Axel pointed across the battlefield. From his sky perspective, Xigbar had a perfect view of Demyx leaned over his favorite weapon, playing a familiar tune.

"All right! The kid's back!" Then, instead of rushing to his friend, Xigbar made a bee line for Luxord. The blonde had been using his cards to destroy Heartless, but was now instead staring downheartedly at number nine.

"Damn... and I thought he was through." The man sighed, as Xigbar landed on his feet beside him and extended a hand.

"Pay up."

-=-=-

After another hour of searching, Sora had just about given up on finding Dr. Komyou. He had literally disappeared into thin air. A horrid thought occurred to the teen then; what if the collapsing rocks had trapped him? What if he'd gotten killed before he could get through? As panic rushed through his mind, Sora was about ready to kick himself for not making sure the scholar had made it through.

He and the little girl were still wandering the park, spending their time asking each other questions. Sora was trying to find out everything he could about this new world he was in.

"So, there's a lot of other stuff outside of this park?" Sora asked.

"Yup. There's all sorts of places. Like mom's apartment, and the Walmart, and the other Walmart, and the movie theater, and the beach, and mom's job, and lots of other places. It's a really big world!" Sora had a hard time wrapping his head around "really big world". How big was big? To him, Cloud's homeworld was big. It had two continents and a bunch of cities. But according to Molly, this Earth place had seven continents. SEVEN.

"So, how'd you get here?" Molly asked. "You didn't have a ticket so you couldn't have gotten in the normal way."

That was a question Sora had a hard time answering. He couldn't tell the truth, but if he lied to her and she found out, he might lose his only connection to this world. Molly was a very emotional, easily angered little girl.

"I, uh... well, I don't really know. I fell asleep, and uh... woke up by that statue." He explained. It was sort of the truth. Molly accepted it luckily and frowned.

"Then where did you come from?" She asked.

"Nuh uh, my turn." Sora put a hand on his chin. "Uh... okay, what's a little kid doing wandering along around this big place?" Sora asked, motioning to the large park around them. Molly grinned.

"That's easy! My mom works here. I have a year round pass to get in, and I'm friends with all the guards and workers in all the parks!" She smiled. "So, mom doesn't mind me walking around since she knows somebody's looking out for me. And I'm really careful. I got a cell phone too."

So the questions went as the two wandered aimlessly. The boy felt so restless. He had lost Dr. Komyou, and was extremely worried about him. Not only that, but he had no idea what to do in this new world, and he didn't know how to go back either. And his friends needed him! Aerith... Aerith was gone. He didn't want anyone else leaving him! He had to go back and protect them!

Sighing, Sora ran his hands through his hair nervously, once, then twice. Molly watched with the sharp eyes of a curious child. She had a feeling he was strange, different,... but she didn't know how. What made him special?

Eventually their questioning session was interrupted by a loud grumble. Sora balked, and put his hand over his stomach. "Oops" He chuckled nervously. Molly shrugged.

"Wanna get something to eat? Oh, I know! Come on!" Once again the little girl grabbed his hand and dragged him along.

They came to the main street of the Magic Kingdom, which Molly had told Sora about, and Molly pulled Sora into a nearby shop. It was a quaint eating place, with a glass counter revealing the treats that were being sold.

"Pick one." Molly told him. "I'll buy, since I know you can't."

Sora decided to ignore that, and looked over the selections. He felt really bad eating and relaxing while his friends were fighting and dying... but he was starving, and for the moment, waiting was all he could do. He might as well eat.

-=-=-

It felt good to be truly alive again - alive in the way only a warrior can experience. As Demyx played the many chords which spelt annihilation for his enemies, he couldn't help but grin. This was the best part of fighting - the best part of music. Having so much power and control, and also, being able to protect those he cared about.

Which led Demyx to formulate a plan which would help the good guys get back on their feet, and also drive back the invading darkness. He continued playing his song, and meanwhile told Leon his idea.

The leader smirked and passed it along, shouting to his nearby cohorts to pass the message. "Have magic users cast Bubbleja and Protectja immediately! Don't miss a single person!" He ordered, and then proceeded to cast the spell over himself and those near him.

As Demyx continued to strum along, preparing to play a grand finale, the spells burst to life across the battlefield; the white, humming shields of protect, the giant dancing bubbles that kept those within safe from everything without. It wouldn't keep the darkness at bay for long, but it wasn't supposed to do that anyway. Demyx had a different idea.

"Okay, we ready?" He asked, still playing. Leon patted his shoulder.

"It's your show, kid." And then he back away, sword still drawn as he sliced through a few Heartless on his way.

"All right!" The blonde grinned and began playing a slightly different song; it was faster and higher pitched. The Heartless, who had for the moment been busy trying to pry through the Protect spell shields and the Bubbles, perked up, lifting their heads to glance at the musician.

Said musician was grimacing with the effort of the magic he was weaving. The song changed tempos and rhythms quickly, and if it had simply been a musical piece, it wouldn't have sounded right to the ears. Suddenly the ground began to shake.

"What's going on?" Some said, glancing about. Many were curious, some could feel the thick spell that was weaving through the air, summoning... something.

"It sounds like a... roar or something. Like rumbling." Vash the Stampede glanced around, trying to find the source of the "rumbling".

Inuyasha's ears flittered. He and his brother shared a knowing glance.

"Well, at least you can sense something of this magnitude. This Sesshomaru would be severely ashamed if you could not." The younger brother huffed, but ignored the barb, instead turning with large, curious eyes towards the source of the noise.

It was coming from behind them, far off in the distance. "What the hell?" The half demon could sense it, but had no idea what it was.

On the other hand, Xigbar knew exactly what it was, and he was laughing his ass off.

"Kid's just like me; a show off. He gets his power back and has to remind us just how much damage he really can do. Kinda bad ass for such a dork, huh?" The man grinned at his Superior, who stood beside him. Xemnas was smirking.

"I'm proud of him. I believe he is finally accepting a part of himself that he has tried to hide." Confused, the sharpshooter put his hands on his hips.

"What part is that?" He asked.

"Why, his heart." Xemnas smiled. "He finally had one, but he was afraid of it. Afraid of who he was. He didn't know where he came from, or where he might be headed, and that scared him. I would know; I've been through the same."

At this point in the conversation, it finally became apparent to everyone on the battlefield what exactly was rushing towards them, rumbling like thunder and making the ground violently shake.

"Holy shit!" Edward Elric shouted, stunned and confused. "B - But - But! What kind of equivalent exchange could make THAT!?"

It was a tidal wave of epic proportions, filling the horizon from side to side. It stood perhaps two hundred feet high, dwarfing even the most monstrous Heartless, and swept them all down easily. Within mere seconds it was upon the warriors, who had no time to react. Luckily for them, the Bubble and Protect spells were in place: still the spell casters who were keeping them up struggled to do so in the wake of such a large force of water.

Only Demyx didn't cringe, cower, or cover himself when the water rushed in. It flooded the open areas between the bubbles, sending the Heartless rolling through the waves. Demyx, for a moment, stopped playing his piece, simply stretching his arms out and letting the water rush over him. It did not move him from his place, though physics should demand that he be killed by the rushing water. It was as if the water had a mind of its own, and within the area of its Master, became as peaceful and soft as a bubbling stream. Demyx was hardly touched.

Those in the bubbles watched in wonderment as water clones swam through the rapids, finishing off Heartless that had not been swept away. It was a murderous underwater ballet.

It took more time for the water to pass than it did for it to arrive. The water levels finally began to lower thanks to action from Lexaeus, who opened ravines away from the heroes that the water tumbled into, creating beautiful, giant waterfalls.

"That... was cool." Riku whispered, his head spinning about in crazy circles to take it all in. _You don't know what you're missing, Sora_.

The water went down to ankle level, and the spells dissipated. Leon immediately leapt to action. Using a little technique Prof. Dumbledore had taught him, Leon addressed everyone.

"Sonorous" He whispered, hand against his throat. "All right! Everyone, we need two groups! Those from the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee and the Organization XIII, fall back! Everyone else, rush forward! We've got to take as much land back from them as we can! Go for it!"

Even though there was no true "leader" in this rag tag group, Leon's order was obeyed by all. He and Demyx immediately began running back, while most everyone else charged forward with resounding yells.

"So, why are we falling back?" Demyx asked as they ran.

"The make shift hospital; we can't leave it unguarded. I also want to talk over our battle plans." The man explained.

"Oh..." Of course; with the amount of people getting injured in this battle, a place for caring for them would be necessary. Demyx and Leon ran as fast as they could, leaving the war behind them for a moment.

The "hospital" was truly just a well guarded hole in the ground; walls of rock, erected by Lexaeus, protected it from frontal attack, and sentries were set around its edges. Within, the injured were kept on blankets, and were being healed by various other warriors. Those currently on nurse duty were Yuna, Hermione, a young blonde Demyx didn't know, and a few other people Demyx vaguely remembered from Hogwarts.

What kept the boy's attention more were those lying on the pallets. Many were his friends. Rinoa was on her stomach, her back ripped and torn; Harry Potter, from Hogwarts, was leaning against the rock wall, being treated for Darkness poisoning by Vexen; Cid had a large bandage around his neck, and was deathly pale from blood loss. There were many other horrible injuries, but Demyx took his eyes away from him.

Then he saw the form at the back, and his breath hitched in his throat. Before Leon could catch him, Demyx raced through the hospital to the body lying peacefully against the far wall.

Cloud was kneeling beside her, and his black half skirt was draped over her upper body. Her hands were folded in eternal prayer over the deadly injury that had finally taken her life. Demyx choked on a sob at the sight of Aerith's body, lying prone on the ground.

A few more sobs escaped him, and he covered his mouth with his hand. It just couldn't be. It couldn't be! Not - not -

Demyx didn't even realize he was being hugged to a familiar chest, but he took comfort from it and let out his tears. Xigbar let him, and held him tight, even as chaos reigned all around them.

-=-=-

Nighttime fell over Disney World, and Sora found himself without a place to go and with no knowledge of where Riku's father could be. Molly was still with him, but Sora felt his best bet would be to part ways with her and stay in the park after it closed. When he'd first woken up, the park had been where'd he'd awoken. It had to have the answers he needed - he needed time to look. Not to mention that the doctor could still be inside it somewhere.

The two walked slowly towards the front entrance with the rest of the crowds, Sora inclining his head. What was he to do? Where was he to go? Where was Dr. Komyou?

Suddenly two hands grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, and Sora glanced up in shock.

"What the...?" Two strangers were looking at him wide eyed. One had dark black hair, the other vivid blonde.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" The blonde spat. Her voice was malicious - and oddly familiar.

It took a moment to sink in, and both girls continued to stare at him. Sora glanced from one to the other.

"Hinode... Tsuki?"

"Sora..." Tsuki grasped his shoulder tightly. "You'd better tell me everything that's going on. Cause if the keyblade master's INSIDE Kingdom Hearts... then we've got a problem."

Sora could only gawk.

-=-=-

**Sorry this chapter is so short. But I promised myself that from now on, no matter how short, I will update once a week. It will always be either Saturday or Sunday. I meant to post this yesterday, but my dad booted me off the computer. T.T**

**So, yeah, this is really just another transition chapter leading towards Sora figuring out all the confusing stuff that's going on. And of course, something totally badass happened, so not a bad chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**SULHADAHNE**


	29. Blue Skies

It was like staring a phantom in the face.

Sora couldn't breathe. The two were hardly paying attention to him, instead talking to one another frantically, walking just ahead of him. His feet only followed them out of habit; his mind was very far away. Of all the things he'd been hit with recently, this took the cake.

_So what is this? _ He asked himself, pushing through the thick crowd of people. _Is this heaven? Is it hell? Is the heart of the universe the place you go when you die?_

"Maybe this is part of the plan, maybe it's supposed to happen..." Tsuki murmured to her sister, hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me how it is you open a door from the inside? Shit, this is just our luck..." Hinode ignored the comforting gesture, stomping through the crowd with an angry grimace. They came to another train station and filed on, Sora right behind.

_I wish Riku were here,_ he thought. More people came on, then the doors slid shut and Sora instinctively headed to a nearby window, letting his forehead fall against the glass with a clunk. The two girls glanced at him.

"Did we take coming here this badly?" Tsuki wondered to herself.

"Shut up and think of a plan. The universe is gonna go in the shitter if we don't stop it."

_Riku always has a clear head. He'd figure this out; he'd keep to the plan and not have any emotional breakdowns like I did. I guess he gets that analytical side from his dad..._

With a soft lurch the train began to move, and Sora's thoughts wandered. He remembered the train from Twilight Town, feeling a foreign sadness that had been Roxas's, not his own. He thought of the train ride from Radiant Garden to the conference, before the Organization had come back. It seemed like his life consisted of train rides, of transitions from one world to the next. He never stayed in one place for very long.

Sora thought of when he'd last seen the sisters, in the World that Never Was. He remembered that last battle, remembered setting Axel free. It all seemed so far away, in this strange hell.

The train stopped, the girls got off, and Sora followed like a trained pet. He didn't pay attention to where they were going or what they were saying, until a while later he looked up and saw a parking lot.

"We parked in Minnie, didn't we?"

"Yeah, number three, I think."

Sora followed the girls down the rows, until they turned and walked to a blue Volkswagen beetle that needed a paint job, and maybe Cid's touch, too. Hinode got in the driver's seat, Tsuki got into the front passenger's side, but Sora stood there.

When they noticed he hadn't moved, Hinode stood back up and tapped the car's roof. "Come on, kid, no time to lag. Hop to."

"What's going on?" He whispered. His fists were clenched, his stomach churning. The blonde sighed as Tsuki turned a sympathetic glance his way.

"I understand your confusion, but this really isn't the place." She glanced about, almost as if she was afraid someone was watching. "Please come with us."

Sora let out one last sigh before shaking his head. "The doctor's here. I can't leave him."

"Your doctor friend isn't worth a lick in the face of all of creation going kablooey." Hinode gestured again. "Get in." Then she followed her own advice and slammed the door shut.

Sora still felt nervous, but gave in, getting into the little vehicle with a very bad feeling.

-=-=-

The Kingdom Hearts world was even bigger than Sora could've imagined.

The little car left the parking lot, driving out down a long highway, passing towering forests that looked akin to the ones from Deep Jungle. They kept driving... and kept driving... Sora was pretty sure they had driven the whole length of the Olympus Coliseum five times before they finally came to a gate.

As they passed under it, Sora turned to read it, but only caught a glance of "Welcome To Disney," before it disappeared from sight. The car turned right onto another rode, and kept driving.

Eventually they came to civilization, and Sora's eyes became glued to the window. Palm trees leaned over the crowded streets, hotels looming the distance. Cars lined the roads, roads that kept going and kept going forever. The highway system was probably bigger than all of Radiant Garden. Buildings kept getting bigger and bigger, and every time Sora asked what they were, he got the most ridiculous answers:

"It's a bank."

"Oh, that's the mall."

"Apartments."

Huge buildings, which seemed to repeat and repeat themselves. More banks. More malls. More apartments. How many people could live here that all of this would be needed? Sora's mouth fell open and didn't close for about an hour.

When they finally turned down a side street and into a neighborhood, Sora gawked at the houses. The suburban homes were bigger than most of the shops in Twilight Town. The one Tsuki turned into was closed up, and looked worse for the wear. It was tucked into the far back corner of a Cul-de-sac, hidden by large trees and shrubs. The little car pulled up into the driveway and disappeared behind the foliage. They got out, and Sora followed Tsuki and Hinode up to the door. It was nail shut by boards, with a sign in the front yard reading "foreclosure".

"Been abandoned for a while. Not even the bank can sell it in this economy." Sora wasn't listened as he watched Hinode turned the nob and step over the boards into the house. Tsuki followed suit.

Nervous, the boy took a step forward and glanced inside. The room was too dark to see; Sora stepped over the boards and entered a dusty mess.

"Shut the door would you?" Tsuki asked. He did so, as he watched her light a lamp in the back corner.

"You guys live here?" He asked incredulously.

"Not legally, no. But even if the cops find out, we don't legally exist either. We've escaped them before, we can do it again." Hinode said. Sora glanced around the room; it had pillows and small tables, with a few pieces of makeshift furniture, and futons lined the walls. Everywhere else was crowded with books, magazines, and such, with a laptop plugged into a wall, sitting on the floor.

"Fabulous place wouldn't you say?" Hinode chuckled. "It's all we can get, since people who don't exist can't exactly get a loan, huh? Not to mention all our jobs have to be under the table, paper free." Sora wasn't really listening; he was examining the books. _Pride and Prejudice_; _Interview with a Vampire_; _U.S. History_; _Steppenwolf_. It was a myriad of titles. He set them back down and turned to the girls, his eyes imploring them.

"Please." He begged them. "What the hell is this place?"

"Hell is one word for it." Hinode muttered. Tsuki glared at her.

"It is not as bad as my misanthropic sister would have you believe. Our life is hard because of the circumstances, but... it's not always that way."

"It's not paradise, that's for sure." The blonde stalked off with a shrug, leaving her sister to do the explaining.

Tsuki shook her head, before motioning for Sora to approach her. He stepped forward and sat down next to a big pile of pillows.

"I guess we skipped the hellos didn't we?" She chuckled. "Been a while."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. So, you guys ended up here?"

"Yes. Us and many others. We make a strange sort of family." She smiled. "You know them. Orpheus, who worked for Vexen's estranged brother," Sora's eyes lit up with familiarity and he nodded. "Also, Ansem's... well, whatever he was. Another form of some sort. The two children, Tidu and Mari."

"Why?" he asked.

"You know as well as I do." She sighed and scratched her head. "Some of us died before coming here. But I think we were just lost, and ended up here. I really doubt we were supposed to come here. Unless this is some plan on Fate's part, to bring us here and then bring you to us."

"It's a half cocked plan." Hinode walked back into the room, popping open a soda with a hiss. She threw one to her sister, who caught it. "Want one?"

Sora realized he was kinda thirsty, getting hungry too. He caught the red can that was thrown to him, opened it, and took a hesitant sip.

"Whoa, that's sweet!"

"High fructose corn syrup, my friend, nothing like it on the Other Side." Hinode grinned and sat beside her sister.

"Other Side? You mean back home?" Sora asked. The looks of the sister's dimmed then.

Tsuki sighed. "Yes, that's what I mean."

Hinode finished for her. "But you shouldn't call it home, Sora. You're gonna have to get use to calling this place home instead."

The boy didn't really respond to her words. "So... there's no way back?"

"Not that we've found." Tsuki sighed. "Trust me, we've tried."

"Dr. Komyou can help!" Sora told them, setting the canned drink down. "He's the one who showed me how to get here. I lost him in the park... but if we find him, he can send us back!"

"Hold up there, partner." Hinode gawked at him. "Did you say show you? You didn't die and end up here?"

Sora shook his head. "No. I walked through the door."

The two sisters shared a stunned look.

"Maybe we aren't screwed after all." Tsuki grinned brightly. She turned to the keyblade master, and he matched her grin.

Hinode rushed to the door. "I'll find this doctor of yours. If he's from the outside, then he'll have a different aura from everybody else. It won't take long." She turned in the door and waved. "Everyone else ought to be here soon. Have fun mingling Sora!" Then she was gone.

Tsuki gave him one last smiled, and then pointed up. "If you're tired, there's a bed upstairs. Orpheus and the kids are out shopping, they'll be home soon." Then she waved. "I need to do some work, you're free to look around." Walking over to the computer, she sat down and pulled it into her lap.

Sora watched her start it up, and then glanced back up at the room. The books caught his eye again. Maybe it was time for a little research...

-=-=-

The battle still raged on. On the side of light, the warriors continuously struggled to keep fighting, despite wounds and exhaustion. Every time they were knocked down, they crawled back up. But it was easy to see they would not last much longer. The forces of darkness were too far reaching, and too many.

Leon raced through the hordes, slashing and hacking with newfound purpose. Instinct led him on this fight, for his mind was preoccupied with memories. Images of the little apartments his group had started in... how, at first, it had just been him, the ninja, and the healer... moving into the bigger house, watching the brunette beauty warm it up with motherly affection.

"_It could use a few flowers, don't you think, Squall?_"

Cloud, meanwhile, crushed the enemy with empowered rage. His voice was hoarse from screaming. Mostly, he was reliving a nightmare from years past, a feeling of failing someone he loved, of not making it in time... watching the silver angel descend from above...

_Cid... Aerith... _

"AURAAGGGGH!"

The battle lines had been drawn and expanded by Demyx's show of power. The light warriors were doing a good job of keeping them, but the darkness continued to swarm. There was no end to the amount of shadows that rose to envelope them. It was a hopeless battle that, without the Keyblade bearer, couldn't be won.

Kairi, returning from the hospital ward to the battlefield, wondered where he beloved could be. What was keeping him in the castle? Could he make it back in time?

A hand came onto her shoulder, and she glanced up to see Riku. He smiled wanly, seeming to share her thoughts. Too tired to speak, Kairi nodded. They ran back into the battle together, powered by their faith that Sora would return.

At that moment, the darkness seemed to swell suddenly. The many forms of Heartless coalesced, becoming one dark shadow. They flew into one another, growing bigger and bigger, making one giant bubble of shadowy doom.

The warriors, finding nothing left to fight, halted their advance, staring in horror at the new enemy. The giant shadow began falling back, painting the horizon in darkness, until everything around them was shadow.

Then the enemy appeared, cackling, golden eyes promising death.

"**Time for the real fun to begin**." Anti Sora smiled. **"Are you ready, Marina? Ready to watch my revenge!**?"

"Why do I have a really bad feeling despite the fact that the enemy just became one person instead of one million?" Axel muttered.

Luxord, beside him, had a look on his face as if he'd almost had a straight flush, but instead of drawing the last needed card, he pulled a 2. "Now might be a good time to make amends for any guilt, because you may never have another chance."

Xigbar just laughed at that. "Make amends? I'd rather kick this guy's ass!"

"Sounds good to me." Axel chuckled. Then his chakrams flamed to life.

-=-=-

Many hours later brought three changes to Sora: he read more than he ever had in his life; he had the worst migraine imaginable; and he knew hardly anything more about this strange Kingdom Hearts world than he had in the beginning. The books were hardly any help. Sure, they were good, about life and death and love and all that stuff, but none of it explained why Kingdom Hearts had darkness, or why it was so... weird.

The household was now full of people who all greeted Sora happily. Orpheus, Tidu, and Mari were ecstatic to see him, and asked him all sorts of questions about what was going on outside. Ansem's shadow, who was now going by the name Andrew, was a bit more reserved in his happiness, greeting Sora with a handshake. Hinode hadn't come back by this time, so the group spent an hour catching up.

"Damn, I wish I was over there..." Orpheus muttered when Sora had finished telling about the final battle against darkness. "I wouldn't mind busting some Heartless heads. I kind of miss it."

Tsuki shoved his arm. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"I need to get back, and soon." Sora spoke with a somber tone, bringing down the mood a bit. "The longer I'm here, the more danger my friends are in. One already passed away... and there are others about to follow her. I've got to get back, but I can't until I figure out this stupid place!" Sora spat.

"Someone... died?" Tidu wondered. "It wasn't Yuna, was it?"

Sora shook his head. Tidu didn't seem relieved, but he nodded. "I felt Aerith pass away a few hours ago." Mari gasped, hands over her mouth, and Tidu put an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, god..." Tsuki put a hand over her eyes.

"She was a good woman. I'm really sorry Sora." Orpheus muttered.

"I know. I just want to get back before anyone else... dies."

"What is it you have to do?"

The boy stood and began to pace. "I'm not sure. The doctor knew. I had to pass through Kingdom Hearts to get out to the other side and finally destroy the darkness. Kinda like passing a trial before I'm allowed to move on, or something. But I don't know how to get out. I don't understand this place!"

"It's definitely confusing. I remember first showing up here... it blew my mind." Orpheus nodded. "A lot of people from the outside world are like celebrities here, but everybody thinks it's just a book, or a movie, or a game, something like that. And there are so many people! This place is bigger than any world I've ever seen."

"Not to mention how complex it is. The science is incredible... hardly anyone believes in magic though, so its difficult to find." Tsuki told him. "Cure magic is about all I can do now, and the others can't manage any magic at all."

"They don't believe in magic?" Sora blinked.

"Yeah, these guys are real skeptical bastards." Mari said. "I learned that from Aunt Hinode!"

Tsuki's eyebrow twitched. "Remind me to have a talk with 'Aunt' Hinode..."

"There's a lot of problems." Tidu said. "Way more than even Radiant Garden had. It's all so complicated... half the kids I know hate going to school."

"Well, I mean, I did too." Sora told him.

"Yeah, but... these schools are like prisons." Tidu told him. "I don't think I'd want to go there."

"He's actually right. Schools around here have..." Orpheus began counting on his fingers. "Metal detectors, security cameras, security guards, tons of rules... and having an opinion about anything is a big no - no."

"This place is crazy!" Sora shook his head. "How do you guys stand it?"

Tsuki shrugged. "It's not all bad. Takes some getting used to, but its got its perks."

"It's really beautiful!" Mari said. "I love the big ocean!"

"What about the big fireworks?" Tsuki added. Everyone began adding their favorite things.

"All the books! And the artwork!"

"The festivals, and the carnivals. Parks like Disney."

"The music is my favorite. And bagpipes! There're so cool!"

"You are so weird."

"The people too, most of them are pretty cool."

The boy watched the excited looks on their faces as they thought of the good things this world had to offer. Still, Sora couldn't believe that such an odd, horrid place existed. Just then, the door came open. The two kids turned towards it.

"Aunt Hinode!" Mari shouted.

The woman grinned and stepped into the room. Then, she gestured to the outside. A moment later, and Dr. Komyou stepped in after her.

-=-=-

"This can't be good."

Demyx and Yuffie stared up at the wall of darkness, and the small yet intimidating form standing beneath it. Instinctively, the ninja's hand searched for his. She found it, and the boy squeezed hers tight.

"**Where is he**?" The Anti form shouted. "**Where's the boy who would try and kill me!? Where's the Keyblade Master**!?"

Silence reigned; a few of the warriors glanced around. Leon gripped his blade harder, and cursed under his breath. _This is bad..._

"He's not here!"

The crowd parted and Riku stepped to the front. Anti form smirked.

"**Aha... the fallen one. The one who could've been Keyblade Master, but instead chose to give his heart to darkness. Here to join me**?"

The teen gritted his teeth, glaring at the jovial monster. "Never again."

"**I remember your heart. How it thirsted for power. And I gave it to you... the Heartless became you. You made a good warrior of darkness**." Riku did his best to ignore the words.

"Sora's on his way to kill you... until then, you'll have to do with me!" Then he raised his blade and aimed it at the Heartless.

The enemy laughed. "**Nice try boy... but Destiny says that the Keyblade bearer and I shall fight... and we always listen to Destiny don't we**?" With a snarl, he added. "**Even if it means the sacrifice of innocents to protect everyone else...**"

Once again the crowd parted. "Does killing everyone with darkness make up for the loss of those innocents?" Yuna appeared at the front, dressed not in her usual garb, but in the blue flowery dress of a summoner.

"**What would you know, child**?" The heartless turned on her. Riku's heart skipped a beat. _Yuna, no!_

"Killing to avenge those who were killed does not end the cycle of death!" Yuna told him. "It only prolongs suffering!"

The Heartless grinned. "**Well then. Shall I end your suffering? Rather than letting you live with false hope**?"

Yuna's eyes widened. In a sudden instant, a spike of darkness sprung from the shadows behind her, aimed carefully at her heart. She turned, shock on her face, to see a blur of red leap into its path.

"_SIR AURON_!"

"You BASTARD!" Riku righted his blade and raced at the Heartless, who merely disappeared. Riku followed his example, disappearing into shadow, neither of them reappearing.

"RIKU!" Kairi screamed, and raced forward. She too, was suddenly engulfed by shadow.

"Dammit!" Many warriors raced forward when the children disappeared, arms raised. The Anti Form appeared floating above them, with Kairi trapped in tendrils of Darkness. She struggled to no avail.

"I think I know a way to make the Keyblade master appear..." The thing grinned. One of the tendrils sharpened to a point.

"NO!" Demyx screamed.

"KAIRI!"

-=-=-

Laughter echoed in the family room of Tsuki and Hinode's "home". Sora, however, was not there; he was wandering the second floor of the house with a lost expression.

He was in the bedroom, where a mattress was on the floor, and a small lamp on the floor across the way. Blankets were thrown haphazardly across the room. The boy sighed.

_This is no way for them to live..._

A knock came at the door, and Sora glanced up to see the doctor.

"May I come in?" Dr. Komyou asked. Sora nodded, and the older man stepped inside.

"I'm so confused... I don't get this at all. Kingdom Hearts is supposed to be the Light, all the goodness in the universe... not this!" The boy gestured to the messy room, to the dirty window.

The doctor chuckled. "I was, like you, taken aback at first. But I took advantage of our time apart to study what I was seeing. I believe, in conjunction with my past research, that I may know what... all of this is."

The boy glanced up at him with awe. But he said nothing. The doctor came to stand next to him by the window, looking out as drizzling rain began sliding down the panes.

"What is it?" Sora whispered.

The doctor smiled. "It is the source of all light, just as we've been told. But perhaps, not in the way we imagine." He put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "I think... it might be best to show you."

-=-=-

The two said goodbye to the others and headed out, with Dr. Komyou in the lead. After a while, they came to a game store. Sora glanced at the door, with the giant stand up poster of a new game, and posters in the window. It was mostly empty. The two stepped inside.

The doctor glanced around, and then grinned when he saw three girls standing in the back corner. He beckoned Sora to follow him.

Inconspicuously, they came to stand near the girls, pretending to examine the shelves of games. Dr. Komyou whispered to Sora, "Listen to them."

A little confused, he nodded, and focused on what they were saying.

"Thank you so, so much for this!"

"No prob. I mean, half the fun of the game is battling friends anyway, and I can't do that if my friends don't own it." The taller girl grinned at her friend.

The third girl looked confused. "But why are you buying it for her? Are you free loading again, Ashley?"

Ashley laughed. "No, I'm not Renji! My parents just won't let me 'waste' my allowance on video games." She sighed. "So... my lovely, bestest best friend ever, Sammy dear, is buying 358/2 Days for me!" Then she latched her arms around Sammy's shoulders.

"Hey, hey, I can't buy it if you suffocate me!" They shared a laugh.

"Your parents won't let you buy games at all? That blows."

"Yeah, they're all stuck up about it. They hate anime too. Well, mostly my Mom does, Dad's not so bad unless Mom's pressuring him."

"My parents are pretty cool with my hobbies. Mom takes me to conventions a lot."

The three, with the new game, headed to the counter. Once it was bought, Sam handed it to Ashley, who hugged it to her chest with glee.

"Thank you so much!" Ashley grinned.

"Consider it an early birthday present. I'll wrap it up and give it to you a few weeks from now. Then your parents won't know the difference!"

"Oh, your so devious~"

"What does this conversation have to do with anything?" Sora whispered to the doctor. Dr. Komyou winked and whispered,

"Close your eyes."

Huffing, Sora did as he was told. For a moment nothing happened.

Then he saw light. There were three lights growing from within the hearts of the three girls. As they talked of the video games, the lights grew brighter and brighter... and then, suddenly, part of the lights burst off, and flew off into the sky somewhere... Sora opened his eyes and turned to the doctor.

"What the hell was that?"

Dr. Komyou motioned for them to leave. They walked outside and took a seat on a park bench.

"It's a complicated system derived by the universe to keep the balance of light as perfect as possible." He paused for a moment. "Have you ever wondered why it is everyone has light within them? Even the darkest and most evil of beings?"

Sora nodded. "Sure. I mean... it is kinda weird."

The doctor motioned to those around them. "It's because of these people." Sora glanced out to the street, looking at all the strangers passing by.

"Them!? How?" The doctor chuckled at his shock.

"It's a well thought out plan." He began explaining. "You see, this world, at the very center, is the largest of all of them. It has more people and more land than any other we can imagine. It has its own universe, sprawling across light years. It is a complex scientific marvel, with millions of life forms."

He gestured to the stars, which were starting to appear from behind the gray clouds. "On the outside are our worlds. In comparison, most of them are small and simple, but there are millions of them, with all kinds of people. But the biggest difference between the inner and outer is this:" A dramatic pause came then, with Sora gripping his knees tightly.

"The people on the outside are born with light inside of them; the people here are not."

"Why's that?" Sora wondered.

"I'm sure you saw the different likenesses of people who exist in the outside. There are video games all about your adventures. Those stories are the secret of the light." The doctor stood and began talking with vivid hand movements. "The people here love stories, movies, and books. They practically swallow them up. They become attached to the characters in the stories; even come to love them."

Sora still had no idea what this had to do with anything. But he listened, though not very patiently.

"That love becomes light." The doctor turned and waved his hand at the sky. "That light leaves this world and enters the other, giving light to the people who live there." He came up, kneeling by Sora, and poked his chest. "The light in your heart was given to you by people who love you, your "fans"." He said. "The light grows as you live happily in the light, with your family and friends. You go on great adventures, and in this world, those stories become video games. These games make people happy, and creates within them a light. That is the cycle."

"Cycle? Wait..." The boy put a finger to his chin. "So... people play the game and their my ... 'fans'... and that gives me light... and then I go kill Heartless and these people make video games... and that gives them light? How does a video game give light?"

The doctor chuckled. "It is strange. Think of it as... an escape. The games make them happy because they can leave their life behind for a while."

"Why is this place so bad? I mean, there aren't any Heartless but... they still have war, and all these problems... how?"

"Because they have no light in their hearts when they are born." The doctor explained. "The light must grow within them. But it doesn't always grow; and it can fade. Unlike us, they don't have a steady stream of the light giving them strength. They are easily susceptible to darkness. There is war, poverty, and suffering because the darkness exists within people. There are not Heartless hunting them, but the people can be just as heartless. Do you understand?"

Sora tried to absorb it all. "Kingdom Hearts emits light... but it doesn't have any of its own. It has to grow light, but it doesn't always work."

The doctor nodded. "A child raised in a kind and loving home with grow up with love and light in their heart. But imagine a child with a home that is not so good. They struggle in school. The family is poor. Others make fun of them. There may not be a happily ever after for them. That situation does not bred light. Do you see? This world can be cruel."

"But, the stories make people happy?"

He nodded. "It breeds light more quickly than anything. The people are allowed to forget for a while what problems they live with. They can enjoy a simpler life, where evil is easy to see, and goodness always triumphs. Because, in this world, that is not always the case. Evil can appear kind. Goodness might fail. But it has to be that way, because that is the flow of light in this universe."

Conversation over, the doctor sat back down by the boy, and they sat in silence for a while. The stars became clearer and the clouds melted away.

"Why did I have to know this?" Sora asked. "Why'd I have to come here?"

The doctor glanced at him. "Because you are the Keyblade Master. And in the end, all of the Light depends on you. Them, too." He nodded to those around them. "If the outside world dies, the creative light of this world will diminish. It would destroy this place."

The boy nodded. "I get it. I had to see what I was protecting, right?"

Komyou nodded.

A mother and her children passed by near them.

"_Which one will it be tonight, kids?"_

"_I wanna see Transformers! Transformers!"_

"_We saw that already! I wanna see Kung Fu Panda!"_

"_Transformers! Optimus Prime!"_

Two teenage boys came by on skates.

"_No way. Jiraiya all the way man."_

"_Come on, if Itachi used his..."_

Sora listened to the myriad of voices.

"_Did you see the last episode of..."_

"_They're splitting the last Harry Potter movie into two, I think..."_

"_I didn't really like that game, but my brother said..."_

He listened to the voices and closed his eyes.

"They really like their stories..." He muttered.

A sudden pain grabbed his chest, another image, just like before with Aerith: a red headed girl, moments from death, fear over her face. Sora's heart stopped in his chest.

"Go." Sora spun around and saw the peaceful look on the doctor's face. "Your heart knows the way."

The boy looked at him one last time, and nodded. Before he knew it, he was running, running somewhere, eyes closed, with voices from all places ringing in his ears.

"_Come on, don't let her die too, you gotta save her!"_

"_I can't wait for the next game, I gotta know what happens!"_

"_Sora's my favorite, he and Kairi are cute together..."_

"_You can do it_!"

He kept running, and running, into the stars.

-=-=-

The crowd watched in horror at the scene before them. Some were itching to do something, to stop standing and waiting around. Others hesitated, fearing what could happen to the girl. Others, crowded around the injured and fallen, could hardly keep it together.

Something seemed to change in the air suddenly. There was a thickness, an added air to it... Roxas lifted his head, eyes wide.

"Is that...?" he turned, a small smile forming on his face. It sure felt like it...

There was a light on the horizon, as tiny as a faraway star. It seemed to flicker, and surge, like a lightbulb. Others began to notice it, turning to the darkness. It was the only light in all the shadows.

Kairi felt what Roxas had; the familiar heart, the return of a dear friend. Tears came down her face and she smiled despite her situation.

The light was coming closer, until someone commented... "Is it running?"

In fact, it was someone, running at incredible speeds, surrounding by the brightest, most enveloping light. A stream of it flowed behind him, as he came closer and closer.

Roxas grinned. "Sora!"

The boy sped past him with the speed of a cheetah, flitting between everyone, racing to the front of the crowd in mere seconds. Anti Sora could hardly understand what this enormous sun was, spiraling towards him, until it was an inch from a his face, blade drawn, about to cut off his head. He disappeared into shadow.

As he did, the glowing boy dashed to Kairi, cutting the darkness down and setting her free. Then he thrust his hand towards the darkness; tendrils of light spread out into it, revealing a moment later an unconscious Riku.

Anti Sora reappeared a moment later at Sora's immediate right, claws extended, ready to sink them into his skin. The sharp claws were blocked by Sora's blade, and the two flew headlong into a fast paced battle, trading blow after blow at speeds that were impossible for ordinary humans to see.

A minute later they stopped, floating in midair yards apart, one in an aura of darkness, one of light.

"**Finally decided to appear. I was afraid I'd have to kill all of them to make you show up.**" The dark one grinned when Sora gritted his teeth.

"You're not taking any more lives, not here, not ever!" He pointed the Keyblade. "This is where it all ends!"

Anti Form sneered. "**It will take more than that to get rid of me forever.**"

Sora grinned. "I know."

A ethereal form seemed to appear around the Keyblade; suddenly, a ghostly form floated with it, the Keyblade protruding through its heart. The Anti Form gasped silently, its black colored suddenly fading; for a short moment, it was a human being, a dead one, with brown eyes.

"_Marina..._" It whispered. The ghost smiled. Anti Form stepped towards her.

"_We can be at peace, Cero... just stop fighting..."_

Suddenly the darkness was back, with the yellow eyes. Anti form hissed. "**Never! It will never be over, not until everyone pays**!"

The shadowy realm shook with his anger, cracks and crevices appearing at random. The warriors scattered, rushing away from the epic battle.

With a scream, Sora flew at the enemy, summoning another blade in his other hand. With both he pummeled the enemy, who blocked them with his claws. One touched his forearm, and the darkness there screeched in agony, like a burning wound.

The fight raged but did not last long. They sped across the emptiness at one another again and again, but there was no doubt who would win. True light was there again... this light the warriors saw emanating from Sora was unlike any other. And it was easy to see that Anti Sora was tired: tired of fighting a battle of vengeance for millennia.

It was not surprising when the end came. The Anti made one misstep, one false move, and the widening of his eyes showed that he knew it. He let out a grunt, unable to parry the thrust Sora had aimed where his heart once was. The Keyblade pierced him through, and he let out a soft sort of sigh, in a way only darkness can. His knees gave, though Sora kept the blade straight. He watched his other half, the source of all Heartless, begin to fade.

"I'm sorry." He said. "Not for stopping you. But that you ever had to start in the first place."

The dark being chuckled, his voice shifting from the dark gravel tone to human and back. His eyes were clouding over and he didn't seem to know Sora was there anymore. "_Tier..._** do you think **_she's waiting _**for us**_? Today... _**would be**_ a nice _**day**_ to go out _**with her**_... __we can sneak her _**out **_together, _**can't we**?"

Slowly, his weak head lifted, and his faded eyes widened a little. Another weak gasp escaped him. His lower limbs were only shadows of shadows now. His vision was trained just over Sora's shoulder. A hand weakly lifted and extended to a pale ghost that stood a few feet away, hands clutched, smiling with tears on her face.

"_Ma... rina.._." He fell forward, through the blade, his body disappearing with her name on his lips.

Once it was gone, Sora turned. His own eyes were somber. The ghost stood only a foot away, smiling sadly.

"_They used my heart for the blade." She whispered. "When the darkness finally started to come in... they decided the best idea would be to use all the Princess's hearts... one for each blade. But my blade... that was the one that hurt him. The one that struck him down. Because it was me_." Her voice trembled. She paused to pull herself together. "_Now it's finally over. Kingdom Hearts can truly be at peace. The Heartless are all gone._"

"They'll never come back?" Sora asked. "The darkness is gone forever?"

She shook her head. "_Darkness is never gone. But the Heartless will never return. The source was the evil of this place... Cero's tortured heart. He's at peace now_." She lifted her head to look at the sky. "_I wish..._" The most forlorn sigh escaped her lips. The sigh of a lost lover._ "I wish could be with him._"

"You can't?" Sora almost tried to reach out and console her, before remembering she wasn't really there. She shook her head.

"_This is my duty now. To protect. To stand ever ready. As I always have. As I did millenia ago. This is our duty_."

Suddenly six other ghosts appeared. Each was a likeness of one of the Princesses of Heart... each was one of the girls charged with looking over Kingdom Hearts in the Forgotten Kingdom. Within their ghostly formed floated the blade they existed in. They all smiled at him.

"_There are many keyblades... all of them are different incarnations of us._" The Jasmine princess explained.

"_We will be ready to chose the chosen wielders, when it is necessary_." This princess, the Alice look a like, had Kairi's blade floating inside her.

"_Until all of creation is gone, and darkness is no more_." The Belle princess (who had Riku's keyblade within her) said.

"_Then we may rest_." Cinderella princess murmured; King Mickey's blade rested with her.

Sora couldn't believe it. After all this, the injustice of the Forgotten Kingdom still existed...

"_Don't look so sad_." Snow White smiled.

"_We do not mind our fate. We are happy to protect._"

"_Don't forget Sora_." Marina smiled, tear lines still on her face. She did not bother to wipe them away. "_You, through some strange twist of fate, are a kind of incarnation of him yourself._" She smiled sadly. With light, little footsteps, she came to stand by him, and put a light kiss on his cheek. "_I will always be with you..._" She, and the other princesses, began to fade. "_Cero..._"

They disappeared, the blades with them, but for the one that was clenched tightly in Sora's fist.

-=-=-

He was greeted like a hero when he descended from the sky to join those on the ground. A swarm of blood soaked men and women greeted him warmly, while others began treating to their wounds. Everyone let out cheers that the battle was over; they had won, the darkness had been stopped. They had saved the universe!

When his feet touched the ground, the golden light that had been floating around Sora finally dissipated. Voices swarmed him, but he did not hear them. He heard other voices, in his mind.

Words swarmed around these people: these people who didn't even know. Didn't know that they had thousands, maybe millions of people cheering for them. Laughing and crying with them. Loving them. One look at the face of one, and he could hear the voices, the support, the echoes. The thoughts that encompassed the light that gave these people strength.

Even the darkest ones, like Alucard, Sephiroth, and the like; thoughts of love and admiration swarmed them too. Both of them stood far from Sora who, despite the glow having dissipated, was still too full of the Light to be healthy for them.

He continued through the crowd, letting the voices of those from faraway float through his head. Then, he came to the end: to the hospital. And he saw her: he heard the voices, their sobs, game controllers soaked with tears. They felt pain for someone they had never known.

Aerith was still beautiful. Death had done nothing to her ethereal light, her angelic appearance. Tears formed in his eyes.

But he couldn't linger. The light could do nothing for those already gone, but the living could still be helped. Sora went to Cid first.

"Come on, old man, you've got a wife to go back to..." He whispered. With his hand over the deepest wound, Sora poured light into it, weaving the skin and tissue and muscle together.

In mere minutes Cid was back to normal, and on the cusp of waking up. Sora moved on to the other injured, Rinoa being next. As he healed those who were worst off, everyone else worked on healing the others.

An hour later and the living were back on their feet again, and it was time to mourn the dead.

Cloud, to anyone who didn't know him, appeared to be a broken man. Kneeling by the fallen flower girl's side, he clutched her pale hand tightly, but shed no tears. Those he knew him well could tell that, despite the grimace on his face, he was somehow at peace.

Sora approached him slowly, his heart aching for his friend.

"I knew this would happen." The blond murmured. Sora sat beside him, ready to be a shoulder to cry on. Cloud hardly noticed him, but he did keep speaking. "I wished her back."

"Wished her back?" The boy asked.

Cloud nodded. "On my home world... she died. I failed to protect her. So, when Gaia was destroyed... when I ended up in the Underworld... that was my wish. To see her again. Bring her back."

"So that was why you were working for Hades?" Sora asked him. "Because he promised to bring her back?" The blond nodded.

"He kept his promise... but he sent her across the universe. 'Never said where I'd put her', he said. So I started looking for her. When I finally found her... when we were together again I was so happy. But there was... there was this gap between us."

"A gap?" Cloud fell quiet. Sora placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Aerith had been happy were she was. And she was happy being alive too... but she was waiting for the day she could go back. Back to her family, her friends... back to Zack..." He sighed. "That was the problem. I'm not Zack. Not... not anymore."

Sora didn't really understand what he was saying, but he listened, and consoled, and Cloud shed a few tears. When it was done, Sora stepped away, and Cloud stood with her body cradled in his arms. He turned, nodded to the boy, and the boy nodded back.

Two others stepped up: Leon and Barret, who had Auron's body between them, his arms slung over their shoulders. He was still alive, barely. Sora, eyes wide, rushed over to heal him -

"No." The man whispered. Shocked Sora stared. "I'm ready... to go back."

A few others joined the procession: There was a man dressed in all armor who had passed away, being carried by what appeared to be his twin and one other. The tall man in red, named Vash, was cradling in his arms a friend dressed in the outfit of a Priest. Somehow, the emotional man had kept his tears at bay. Lastly, the young man who had a tail walked up, holding a very beautiful man, who had passed during the battle.

"Are we all set?" Leon asked. After a moment, a murmur of agreement passed through the crowd. The leader raised his voice. "The way out is through the Door to Light, which holds Kingdom Hearts. Once we open that door, the universe will be returned to normal, and we'll all go home." No one cheered or laughed, but the mood lifted somewhat. "Let's go."

And so they walked, through the darkness. It was no longer a realm of darkness, just a place very far away from the sun, with an enormous city looming in the distance.

-=-=-

The city, though decrepit and dust covered, had its own kind of beauty. Slowly, the group migrated within its walls, a quiet procession of tired, humbled warriors, standing in the origin of all things. They began to separate, wandering the city with awe filled eyes, keeping a look out for the Door that would lead them home.

Before they found that, Sora and Riku opened a large pair of doors which led into a beautiful cathedral with the tallest domed ceiling they'd ever seen. Light shimmered through the colored glass windows, and a beautiful crystal stood at the far end.

The two teenagers shared a somber look.

"You think?" Sora murmured. The older boy nodded.

"Yeah."

-=-=-

The entire army was gathered in the cathedral, and the bodies of the fallen were placed at the front, side by side, on five different tables, arranged with their hands over their chests.

Standing behind these tables with serious expressions were the people who had been closest to those fallen. The group started at the far left, reciting names and giving a little information on the fallen.

"My brother, Noah von Rosenburg, was a great many things. He betrayed many, but was loyal to a cause; he suffered much, and caused much suffering. I loved him." The man, Basch murmured. "I love him still." He lowered his eyes.

The next, Zidane, still had tears in his eyes. "Kuja was my brother.. I didn't know he was my brother for a long time. When we first met he tried to kill me. But he... he just needed a second chance. Somebody to believe in him. I just wish that it had come sooner. I'm sorry bro." He squeezed his fists, shoulders shaking.

In the center was Sir Auron, who was fading fast, and not very capable of speech. Yuna still held his hand, her shoulders shaking. Rikku was right beside her, along with a few other of their friends.

"Sir Auron was a great hero in my home world... He fought alongside my father to protect our land. When that battle cost my father his life, Sir Auron made sure I was safe. He has been my guardian and my friend since I was a little girl. He... he is the best a person could ask for!" She choked up, falling into sobs, and her cousin squeezed her shoulder. Sir Auron, somehow, squeezed her hand. "Thank you... thank you so much..."

Rikku, looking down on him with sad eyes, smiled. "You were a meanie sometimes... but that was just your way of showing you loved somebody. So, thanks for being mean to all of us." She smiled, and wiped away a few tears.

Vash was next. "Nicholas D. Wolfwood..." he muttered. "He was my first, and my best friend. He guided me, and I guided him. We fought each other, and we fought together. If it weren't for him... I wouldn't be where I am now, standing here. Thanks, Priest man." He smiled, and tears then covered his cheeks.

The last person left was Cloud. The audience became focused on him, and he did not raise his head. His eyes remained trained on Aerith.

"I'm not crying for you today." He whispered. "I did that once already. Your entire family and the man you love are all waiting for you back home... so I'm not sad for you. I'm crying for everyone you're leaving behind." Then he lifted his head. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for help. His eyes found his friends; Vincent and Tifa, side by side. Cid, still weak but recovering. Yuffie, Leon, Sora, Riku... all of them.

"Aerith Gainsborough has died once before. She sacrificed her life to summon a spell that saved our world from being completely destroyed. She was only nineteen, the last of her family and the last of her race, trying to fight against a force that no one could understand. I can't imagine how frightening it was... but somehow she was brave enough to do what had to be done."

"Then, a few years ago, I made a deal with a God of Death. He promised to resurrect the woman I loved, and in return, I became his Angel of Death. But, when I disobeyed him, he threw her soul out into the cosmos. I thought Aerith was lost to me forever."

"When I finally found her again... she smiled just the same as when I first saw her. When I first saw her... she had been standing in a dirty, nasty side street of a dirty, disgusting city where only filth and madness could be made. She was selling flowers, with a smile on her face. Surrounded by evil and cruelty, and she was selling flowers. She was... the only light in that place."

"I wanted that light. I loved it. But I know not that she's not mine to have. I can keep my memories..."_ Memories of fireworks, of theme parks, of churches, of flowers, and flower girls... _"but I can't keep her heart. So I'm letting her go, now. I'm gonna stop dilly dallying. And I'm gonna move on."

The room fell silent. A few sobs were heard, and some prayed. Yuna whispered to Sir Auron, who whispered back. Hearts were heaving.

"Yunie..." Rikku whispered. The taller girl nodded.

"I know." She whispered. "It's time."

_It's been a long year _

_Since we last spoke _

_How's your halo?_

The others watched as Yuna lifted her staff. Those standing stepped a bit further back. Sir Auron closed his eyes, and let out a quiet sigh. Eyes full of unshed tears watched as the dance began. Droplets of water formed on the ground, coming together beneath Yuna's feet. She hesitated before beginning. She didn't... didn't want to...

Auron, eyes still closed, smiled. "Your father would be proud." He whispered. Yuna let out a breathy sigh, and knew she had to start. Her staff came over her head, and the dance went into motion.

_Just between you and I _

_You and me and the satellites _

_I never believed you_

Sora and Kairi clasped each other's hands. They watched as more water flooded the stage, pouring down the stairs, flowing under the rows of pews. People lifted their feet, watching as Yuna was lifted into the air by a pillar of water.

"What does death have to do with all of this?" Sora whispered. Kairi leaned towards him. "Why is it there?"

"There's light and darkness..." Kairi whispered back. "And there's life and death. A good side and a bad side." The two kept their feet in the shallow water, sitting with their hips touching. The girl turned to him, speaking with her lips near his cheek. "Life and light are a lot alike actually." She murmured.

The boy turned to her and asked, "Why's that?" Their lips were just touching.

_I only wanted to _

_Before all of this _

_What did I miss?_

"They both managed to come through, in the end." She told him. They looked into each others eyes. They felt the need to lean closer, but the mood of the situation kept them from doing it. A few tears fell down Sora's cheeks. Kairi, who had managed to keep hers at bay, smiled, and finally set them free. She leaned forward and placed a light peck on Sora's cheek, just as Marina had done.

_Do you ever get homesick? _

_I can't get used to it _

_I can't get used to it _

_I'll never get used to it _

_I'll never get used to it_

The bodies began to glow. Gabranth, Kuja, Auron, Wolfwood, and Aerith, began to turn into light. Their loved ones watched on in awe as their forms faded away, and their spirits flew into their air. Yuna's dance continued, and the crowd watched as something utterly astonishing happened.

The spirits, which had floated into the sky, became form again. A bright light appeared in the large double doors at the end of the room. It was soft, welcoming. The ghosts looked at it without flinching, but those alive had to cover their eyes.

From this light came forms. They were pure light, walking from the afterlife, entering the room with soft footsteps. They approached the newly dead, whose eyes lit up at the sight of them.

"What's going on?" Leon whispered in awe, just as shocked as everyone else.

"It's Kingdom Hearts. We're so close to the light..." Rinoa whispered. "That we're actually watching them pass on."

_I'm under that night _

_I'm under those same stars_

"_Mother? Father?" _Gabranth took small steps towards the forms that approached them. When their appearance was revealed, the man grinned. Behind him, Basch's heart stopped. The armored ghost embraced his parents together, laughing for perhaps the first time in a very long time. Despite the fact that he could not join in the family reunion, Basch smiled, and shed no more tears.

Auron chuckled when his shadows approached him. One put a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Took you long enough!" Jecht laughed heartily, and pulled Auron into a one armed hug.

Braska, the other, smiled at him. "It's good to have you back."

Auron grinned at them, something no one alive had ever seen him do, before glancing back. Braska and Jecht followed his example. They could not see the living, but knew they were there.

"I am proud of you, daughter." Braska murmured. Yuna, who had finished her dance, clutched her staff with white knuckles.

"Me too, kid." Jecht gave her a thumbs up. The three, all grins, headed into the light together.

The Priest heard laughter coming from the doorway. A myriad of young children raced to great him, as he smiled brightly. Wolfwood kneeled to their level, their little hands clasping his, chattering happily, pulling him to paradise.

_We're in a red car _

_You asleep at my side _

_Going in and out of the headlights_

Aerith glanced around, as if looking for those she loved. A shout came from nearby. "Heeeey!" She suddenly grinned, turning to the light.

A tall, male form raced out of the bright light. Aerith giggled, hand over her mouth, as the form hurried toward her, arms open, face split with a grin. The spiky haired man pulled the woman into a bone crushing hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her about before lifting his lips to hers.

Cloud, despite knowing that Zack would come for Aerith, could not believe it was true. Echoes of past memories flew through his heart. The man who had been his greatest friend... the reason he was still alive... and there he was, laughing and smiling with the love of Cloud's life, another of his closest friends. Cloud felt no regret, and no loss. A strange sense of serene joy filled him. This was what he had to look forward to. When his time came, these people would be waiting for him.

_Could I have saved you? _

_Would that've betrayed you? _

Zack set Aerith down, and they stared at each other with content smiles for a moment. Then, he glanced up to the place where Cloud stood. The blond's heart stopped. The man walked through the room, hand extended, searching blindly for the person he knew was there. He came up the stairs, arm out, until his hand lightly touched apon Cloud's chest. Zack grinned; Cloud stood shocked.

The two stood there, Zack unable to see him but smiling brightly, Cloud looking as if he might have a heart attack. After a moment, Zack lifted his hand, searching again. He found Cloud's spiky hair and ruffled it. Cloud didn't feel a thing, it was as if a wind had tossed his hair about. Zack gave one last smile, and whispered, "See you, spiky."

He turned, and Aerith was waiting for him. She reached out: he took her hand, and they walked side by side into eternity.

Cloud stepped towards the aisle, almost as if he might follow them. But he didn't. Instead he watched them go, the way a child in a moving van would turn their head to watch their old home fade into the distance. The blue eyes of the warrior were no longer tear filled.

The ghosts all faded into the light.

_I wanna burn this film _

_You alone with those pills _

_What you couldn't do I will_

The funeral was over. The light was gone, and reality returned. It descend upon the mass of people all at once; a kind of "did that really happen" sort of feeling. Some seemed to look to their neighbors, and one glance at the shocked looks on their faces made them realize, yes it was real. It was very real.

Cloud's eyes searched the room again as everyone else tried to make sense of it. This time, his gaze did not find the eyes of a friend. Instead, his found the eyes of someone who had once been closer than a friend - a hero.

He stared at these green eyes, remembering the pain they had caused him. The eyes stared calmly back. He remembered the suffering and loss. Before any of that happened, he remember peace. Tranquility. Adoration.

And with those thoughts he finally did what had been many years in the making: he said three words.

"I forgive you."

As soon as these words were said the eyes and their owner were gone. But Cloud knew he had been there, and he knew the apology had been heard, for a black feather floated on the wind.

_I forgive you _

_I'll forgive you _

_I'll forgive you _

_I forgive you_

-=-=-

After the service, the group split up again, searching once more for the Door that would lead the way home. The Organization, acting as a mad mob traversing through the halls, stayed mainly on the ground floor, messing around with what they found.

Eventually the group came to a library. "Right up your alley, pipsqueak." Axel nudged Zexion, who frowned and shoved him off. The group meandering into the room, some actually interested in the history, the ancient artifacts, the artwork. Others were more interested in picking up said ancient artifacts and wearing them upon the head for shits and giggles.

"Xigbar! That is a priceless piece of history from the universe's oldest civilization!" Vexen shouted to the Freeshooter, who simply ignored him and continued to dance around with the vase on his head.

"Don't be so uptight! Today's a day to celebrate! We won! And Demyx got his powers back!" Xaldin put an arm around the boy's shoulder; the blond grinned sheepishly.

"Congrats, Demyx." Luxord smiled. Everyone seemed genuinely happy for him. The door opened again, and Marluxia and Larxene came in.

"What kept you two?"

"Doing something dirty in a closet somewhere?"

"None of your damn business."

The others joked and played around; Demyx didn't really hear it. When the other members had opened the doorway, something had caught his eye across the hall. It caught hold of his heart, and held tight. He had a sudden urge to go to it, immediately.

As the other members continued their conversation, Demyx slipped away quietly into the hall. The door closed behind him, and he glanced up at the enormous door across the way.

A part of him shivered suddenly, for unexplained reasons. Why did this place seem so familiar? His hand touched the doorknob and electricity tickled him. Slightly nervous, he took in a deep breath, and opened the door.

Inside, the room was long and narrow, framed by tall window panes. At the end, in the center, was a throne. On the throne sat a crown.

A feeling of nostalgia hit the teen as he approached the crown. Slowly, nervously, he touched it. Nothing happened. Demyx picked up the crown. On it, in the ancient language of the people who lived there, it said "_Taishite zakaichou mai Munesanzun_". Demyx had no idea what that language was or what it meant. But somehow, his heart knew what it really meant.

_**For the melody of my heart.**_

Images bombarded him, strong images, from a life he didn't remember living. Was it his life? He wasn't sure. There was a woman, a beautiful woman... a Queen? No... a Princess. A red headed princess...

He was... he was a prince, and he wanted to be with the red headed princess, to stay with her, but no one was allowed near her. She wasn't allowed to have friends, wasn't allowed to love. Then one day, he awoke and found a new crown waiting for him, with a letter from her.

_You are not allowed to have a place in my heart, and I am not allowed to love you as a little brother, though I do. Instead, you shall be the melody of my heart._

He remembered... he remembered sneaking into her room, to play chess with her... staying up late with her and the brown haired boy... they were the best friends... and then... he remembered _the day..._

_Tier gave one last short breath. "One who knows nothing… can understand nothing…"_

_Xehanort turned to the boy. Tier fell to the floor, his eyes dark, sitting in a mix of blood and darkness._

_Xehanort kneeled beside him. "And now… has my plan worked? Perhaps I have been mistaken. But I have doubtlessly created a connection that will last through the ages."_

_"The boys will be tied together, for all eternity. I have no doubt… at least that ambition has been decided."_

_Suddenly, he turned his head. He was being watched._

_In the corner of the room was a crack in the wall, a path that had been created in a strange accidental explosion. It led to the throne room, but no one had ever found the path. Until today, it seemed._

_For behind the crack watching him were two blue eyes. They grew wide when his red irises gazed at them, and whoever it was turned and fled into the darkness._

_..._

_Sighing, Marina turned to walk back into her room, when suddenly a young boy raced into the room and tumbled into the red head._

_"Oh – Myende?" She said, surprised. Marina helped the blonde to his feet. He was a young boy, younger than her, and he looked terribly frightened._

_"I know where Cero and Tier went!" Myende gasped, breathing hard. "But we have to hurry!"_

_"Why? Myende, what happened?" The girl insisted._

_Tears came to the boy's eyes, and he sniffled._

_"I – I think they're dead."_

_..._

_Chaos had become the city. The darkness had come from within, not without - it was the end of days, the death of all. From the deepest shadows of the castle came death._

_Myende and Marina, hand in hand, raced through the palace halls, running back to the place where Cero and Tier had last been seen. They were intercepted by the City Guards._

"_Princess, you have to come with me." The head guard stated. "It is of great importance."_

"_I can't right now, please excuse me!" She and Myende tried to get past them._

"_It is an order, Princess, all of the Princesses of Heart are needed in the Weapons Laboratory now!" The man shouted violently._

"_Leave her alone!" Myende shouted._

_The guard turned his weapon on the boy - with one charge, one shot, his little body was pierced. Marina's screams shook the ceiling as Myende's body fell to the ground. The guards were upon her even as she reached out to save him, to hold him._

_The boy was left in the hallway, still alive, slowly bleeding out. Then the darkness came. He was still alive when it swept over him, drenching him. He became encaged in darkness. Inside, his death slowed to a halt. He was alive, but was not alive._

_From this fading corpse came a little white form - a squiggling little creature. It grew to the size of a cat, and took the form of the first Nobody. It was not strong enough to take human form yet. It did not even remember what human form was. It drifted into shadow, eventually falling back to sleep, never awakening until millennia later when its power grew strong enough._

Demyx remembered a great castle... he remembered a sad little town, with helpless people, and helpless princesses... he remembered a song Marina use to sing... a song about a Prince of Light... and as he remembered, he clutched the crown so tight, and his eyes stung with tears.

Then, he heard sobs. But they weren't his. Surprised, the man spun around.

A few feet away, curled up on the ground, was a little girl in a white dress. She was ethereal, a ghost; chains connected her limbs to a seal in the center of the room. Her sobs broke the silence. Demyx, concerned, glanced from her to the crown. He set the crown back on the throne, and approached the girl.

"Hello?"

The girl only slightly lifted her head. "H - Hello." She whispered. Demyx kneeled near her.

"What's wrong?"

She wiped her eyes, but didn't look up. "I - I lost my big brother. I lost everything. And - And - and I'm all alone. And - And - I'm stuck here. It's just - just so - I just want my big - big bro - brother..."

"You miss him?" Demyx frowned sadly. The little girl nodded and kept wiping her eyes furiously.

"I - I want - I want my brother -"

Demyx then reached over and put a hand on her intangible shoulder. And suddenly he remembered something else. The vague memory of having a family. Of having a mother, and a father, and a little sister.

The girl looked up at him with the same bright eyes that he had, with the same dirtiest blonde hair. A sudden grin came to the boy.

"You... you've been waiting for your brother for a long time, huh?" He whispered. The little girl stared at him. And stared.

"Uh huh."

"Do you remember what he looks like?"

She shook her head. "But he was really nice. And really dorky. I - I thought this other guy - this guy was my brother. But he wasn't. He left." She lowered her head again.

Demyx leaned down, and she met his eyes. "How would you like to have a family?"

The ghost blinked. "A family?"

Nodding, Demyx smiled. "Uh huh. A big one. With lots of brothers and sisters, and a mom and dad." _I wonder if Xemnas or Xigbar is the mom... gotta be Xigbar. He's the overly affectionate black mom. _Demyx laughed at his own joke, and the little girl smiled.

"I - I - I want a family. With a big brother. Who's nice and dorky."

Demyx let out a big guffaw there. "I think I can definitely do that." The little girl laughed too. They both laughed, harder and harder, though they hardly knew what for. But it felt good. It felt right. It felt like something they might've done in a past life, in a shared bedroom, during the night when they were already supposed to be asleep.

"But..." The girl's laugh ceased. "I can't leave." Demyx blinked. The little girl pointed, and he turned to see the chains that connected her to the seal. Demyx looked at it. He thought of an idea.

"Be right back!" He leapt to his feet and ran across the room.

Slamming the doors to the library open, Demyx glanced around. Vexen had his hands around Xigbar's throat, who was holding an expensive painting high above the other's head. Saix was currently holding Zexion back from killing Axel, who had lost a bet with Luxord and, consequentially, set fire to a few irreplacable, ancient books.

Demyx grinned at the madness, eyes searching for one person. He cheered when he saw him.

"Lexaeus!" The large man glanced up to see the blond's smiling face. "Can I ask you a favor?"

-=-=

"This is strange." Sora glanced around the room. "I thought the Door was in the basement... that's where I went into it."

Aime walked up beside him. "This is different." She told him. "I've researched it. This ought to be the source of light that will bring Kingdom Hearts back to us."

Sora sighed, but nodded. "All right then. I guess I'll get to it. Tell everyone else to gather in the hall outside."

The girl nodded. "Will do!" She rushed out to pass the word around.

Sora, meanwhile, glanced at the strange, round little room. He scrutinized the walls, and noticed the far one looked strange. He approached it quietly. There was an indentation. Sora touched it, and then, looked to his Keyblade.

Stepping back, he lifted the blade. The tip touched the indent and fit. Then, the rock in the indent disappeared. Confused, Sora lowered the blade.

The new hole was full of light. The boy watched in awe as the light began pouring out of it like a liquid. The fountain of light-water made a sound like a softly ringing bell, and when Sora touched the "water", it felt more like vapor. the golden liquid filled the indent in the floor, which was a long cut that flowed out of the room, through the castle. The golden light rushed through all the floors, through the entire building. A city that had been dead for millennia returned to life.

A feeling was born then, a good one, that filled Sora and everyone else's heart with peace. It was similar to a child needing a ride home, fearing they'd been forgotten, suddenly getting a call from Mom saying she was on her way. It was a feeling of being rescued from the brink, of the underdogs making it through. Kingdom Hearts was back. The light and the dark were balanced. All was well.

Sora glanced down at the little fountain and smiled. He then had a feeling... he kneeled and looked through the hole.

He could see that strange Earth world on the other side. Sora wondered how the doctor was... how they all were. Would they make it back through? Would they come home? Sora would hate to give everyone hope, only to find they couldn't come back... he decide not to say anything, and to simply hope for the best.

-=-=-

"Come on! Time to go home!"

Everyone ran through the halls like crazy, as if they hadn't waged war for hours. They were eager to get home. The Organization members followed suit, heading out of the library, into the hall, following the crowd down the path. They came to a fork in the road, where everyone headed upstairs. On the other side of the stairs was another hall, much darker than the others. The path of light which had just started illuminating the castle didn't extend into this hall.

Demyx stared down the hallway.

"I guess that's where the first darkness came from. Shouldn't go in there." Someone said.

"Could be millennia old corpses in there, trapped in darkness." Another said.

Demyx stared. His feet couldn't decide whether to go down the hall, or follow his friends. He hesitated.

"Hey, kid!" Spinning around, Demyx saw a familiar face; Kenpachi Zaraki grinning at him, with little Yachiru on his shoulder.

"Nice trick out there. Finally manning up, huh?" The man grinned.

Yachiru giggled. "Kenny had a lot of fun fighting! Did Demmy to?"

Demyx couldn't help but chuckle at them. One more time, he glanced at the dark hallway, and then the stairs, and he chose the future. He came to stand next to the captain and assistant captain, and they climbed the stairs together.

-=-=-

"Yunie?"

Rikku approached her cousin nervously. The taller girl was standing by a window, staring out in to the dark nothingness with keen eyes. The longing look on her face was strange, something that seemed strange on her face. Rikku put a hand on her shoulder. Yuna turned around suddenly, as if woken up from a dream.

"It's time to go home." The Al Bhed girl said. Yuna smiled.

"Be right there." She promised. The other girl hesitated, before finally leaving the room. Yuna turned back to the nothingness, where thousands of souls rested somewhere, in the light.

"You're there somewhere aren't you?" Yuna whispered. "If Sir Jecht was here... you're here too."

She stood in contemplation a moment more, until her name was called again. Yuna's eyes explored the horizon, and then she turned and ran into the hall.

-=-=-

"So, the door is a little keyhole?" Yuffie murmured. "How do we get home then?"

Sora smiled. "I'm pretty sure that's as easy as wishing for it. Now that Kingdom Hearts is back in working order, it'll take us home, if we ask."

"Then why the hell did I climb all those fucking stairs!?" Cid cursed and pulled out a cigarette.

The group shared a laugh at that.

Sora's idea proved true; once the entire army was joined, Sora made a short speech to them explaining it.

"Hey, guys." He said. The cheered in return. "I'm sorry I wasn't with you there, the whole time. I really wanted to be. But I wanted to thank you for fighting. I know its not really my place, because you weren't fighting for me. You were fighting for your homes and loved ones. But I wanted too anyway." The boy ended with a smile. "So, this is it. I hope we meet again, but now we're going home. All you have to do to do that is imagine you're there."

The group didn't seem to taken aback by this. Everything to that point had been rather magical, why not one more trick? So, people began closing their eyes. In a spark of light, they faded away. One by one the crowd thinned, as sparks of light took people home. Sora watched, wondering... _Which home am I going back to now_?

But he didn't worry about it. Sora simply closed his eyes, imagined peace, a warm bed, and _home_.

-=-=-

_One month later_

Hogwarts castle was bustling with life. The school grounds, beautiful expanses of green grass and trees, were covered by make shift tents and campers. No one was in the tents, or the school, currently. They were all heading towards the lake.

Demyx careened down the hill with nervous butterflies flying about in his chest. Even with the time he'd had left after returning from the war, he hadn't been able to figure out what the Second Task was.

The first had already been completed before the War; somehow Demyx had miraculously, without his powers, fended off an enormous dragon and retrieved the egg. He had come in last place, but had at least survived. This might have had to do with, in part, the fact that Kenpachi had been in the crowd, and had become so pissed off at Demyx running away like a chicken shit that his intimidating aura arose, scaring the living piss out of the entire stadium, Demyx, and the dragon.

But now it was up to him. He had his powers, and the next task had begun. Thing was, the clue the egg gave him had been no help. Demyx still had no idea what he was supposed to be doing today. Still, he thought optimistically; _it can't be another dragon!_

The boy headed down the hill towards the boats, which all of the children were heading towards. But he wasn't really watching where he was going, and bumped into someone along the way.

"Oh, excuse me - Oh! Professor!" The boy turned red when he realized that it was the one and only Prof. Dumbledore he had stumbled into. "I'm so sorry!"

The man smiled with his twinkling eyes. "Quite all right." He chuckled. "Your little mishap was a blessing for me, for now I know these old bones have not quite given out." He and Demyx shared a little laugh.

"Well, Demyx, today is the day." The boy sighed.

"Yeah... I'm really nervous. I... hehe... never did figure out the clue." He chuckled. Dumbledore gave him an incredulous look, but it didn't look genuine.

"Hmm? Well, I suppose you'll have to rely upon ingenuity then." The teen shook his head.

"I think I'm all outta that... I'm not really one for these kind of things." Demyx swallowed nervously. The boat was getting closer and closer...

"These kinds of things?" The Professor asked with a quirked eyebrow. The boy nodded.

"You know... winning. Fighting. Actually doing something right." He sighed heavily, shoulders drooping. Dumbledore watched with wry amusement.

"I think you are better than you know. I heard that, recently, your powers returned to you?" The Prof asked, and Demyx's face lit up.

"Yeah! I have those at least."

The older man laughed. "My boy, your powers never left you." He stopped walking and Demyx followed suit. "Demyx, you are just like everyone else: in that everyone has a power unique to themselves, that only they may put to good use. Being victorious, and winning battles may not be your forte, but that does not mean you are powerless." The elder man inclined his head, catching Demyx with a sharp gaze that could pierce the strongest of hearts. "Do not forget that."

The blond nodded incessantly. "I promise!"

A whistle blew nearby, and Demyx's head spun around. "Oh, sorry, Prof, I've really gotta - go?"

When he turned back around, the elderly Headmaster was already gone.

-=-=-

Demyx stepped off the boat with sea legs, which was entirely from his nerves. He lined up with the other nearby champions, who eyed his school uniform with disbelief. They obviously knew something he didn't. Demyx didn't heed it; it hardly noticed anything. The professor's words were ringing in his head.

The champions stood, waiting, for a few minutes more. Then, the challenge was announced. The audience became silent, and Demyx broke out of his reverie.

"Today, our champions will have to face the monsters of the deep! Hogwart's lake..." Demyx listened to bits and pieces. "Breathe underwater for an hour... traverse the water... save the one most precious to them..."

_Water..._

Demyx would've danced if he hadn't been so self conscious. Water! Of all the challenges, they gave him water! How could he lose? The Melodious Nocturne? Breathing underwater was a synch for him. He wouldn't even break a sweat! All these thoughts careened through Demyx's head as his excitement grew. He was giddy.

Water! It was really water!

The countdown to start began. Demyx couldn't believe it. He thought about maybe giving the others a ten minute start. It would be only fair. He grinned as the cannon fired, and everyone else leapt in to the water. He didn't; he decided to show off. Demyx made the water come to him.

Dumbledore's thoughts drifted through his head then... _everyone has a power unique to themselves..._

Maybe the old geezer was right.

Meanwhile, miles below the surface, Yuffie Kisaragi had already awoken from the sleeping spell which was not as affective as a sleep Materia would've been. She was wet, surrounded by ugly sea monsters, and mad as hell.

Perhaps Demyx winning first place would cheer her up.

-=-=-

Cid Highwind wished he were flying. He wished he was working on something; a ship, a bike, a blueprint, something. He even wished he was at home with his nagging wife. Anything but this!

"I've been through some creepy shit but this is the creepiest fucking shit I've ever been in!" The man cursed and lit another cigarette.

"Could've been worse. Your life was saved y'know." Tifa told him. The blond had to give her that, so he grunted.

"Still... have you looked at that guy!? Creepy as hell. Even Vince ain't as bad as him, no offence, man."

"Hnn."

The door to the bar opened, and Cid groaned. A tall man dressed in red, wearing a fedora, stepped towards him. "Well? Are you ready, fledging?"

"I'm not your fucking baby vampire, dammit!" The man screamed.

"But you are dependent on him, since he gave you a lot of his blood to survive." Tifa happily pointed up.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!?"

"Come now, Captain," Alucard muttered darkly. "It's not so bad is it? A few more weeks and your body will be strong enough to exist without my constant presence."

Cid twitched, his whole body freezing. "A few... more weeks?"

The vampire merely grinned.

Cid wished he had beer. Lots and lots of beer.

-=-=-

Sora walked lazily through Twilight Town, heading through the streets to his friend's house. It was much homier now that the giant convention was at Hogwarts castle and not the little town. Sora had decided to stay there a while, adjusting to some of his new... well, his new look on life. His newfound philosophy.

As he walked through the little town, he whistled a tune. Then, a familiar voice caught his ear. Glancing up, Sora saw the train station. Three familiar young women stood at the ticket booth, bags in hand.

Sora approached them. The girls glanced up, saw him, and waved, and he returned it.

"Heading back to Hogwarts already?" When the army who'd fought the last Heartless wished to return home, many were simply teleported to Twilight Town, which was sort of in the center of the worlds. Over time, the people had begun heading back home, or in most cases, to Hogwarts Castle for the convention.

Yuna shook her head. "No, actually." She smiled at Sora's surprised look. Rikku giggled, Paine smirked.

"Why's that?" The two girls behind Yuna shared a knowing look. Yuna just smiled. Sora smiled back. "You going back to treasure hunting?"

Behind her cousin, Rikku muttered, "_He's certainly a _kind_ of treasure_! _Tee hee_! Oww!" Paine elbowed her. Yuna ignored them.

"Something like that." She said. Sora nodded, and opened his arms. They shared hugs all around.

"Good luck guys. Hope we see you again soon." Sora told them.

"You too Sora. Take care!" The girls began heading back towards the trains. Rikku hopped up and down as she waved.

"Bye! And tell Yuffie bye for me!"

"See you later."

"Bye!" Sora waved vigorously, until he couldn't see them. He stared at the door they disappeared behind. The voices had died down a bit, but they were still in his head, voices saying, "_X2 was the worst sequel, ... I loved the outfits! XD, ... I'm so glad Tidus and Yuna got a happy ending..._"

"Happy ending huh?" Sora murmured. "Good for you, Yuna." Then he turned and left.

He continued down the path, through the town, to the forest. The large mansion came into few quickly. Sora stepped through the gate, greeted Larxene, who was reading in the garden, and Marluxia, who was watering as usual, and continued through the door.

The mansion was much cleaner than usual when he walked in. Sora glanced at the center of the room at the new coffee table - and laughed.

"Nice decoration." He said to Namine, who walked up beside him.

She giggled. "It was the best we could do with it. We can't destroy the seal, even though we got rid of the chains."

"So as long as she's around you have to keep the rock?" Sora chuckled. Suddenly there was a ghost floating in his face.

"Sora!" The little ghost cheered. "Welcome back!"

"HOLY - I keep telling you not to jump in my face like that!"

"Sorry."

Namine giggled. Then, she turned to the ghost. "So, have you thought of one yet?"

The little girl shook her head. "Can't decide. There are so many!"

Sora blinked. "So many what?"

"Names!" The ghost put a hand on her chin. "I can't remember my old one, so I'm picking a new one. But I can't decide..." She hummed as if thinking.

Sora thought about it too. He stared at her, but the voices didn't say much. "How about..." he tapped his chin. "You could be..." An idea hit him. "How about Marina?"

The ghost blinked. "I don't know..."

"Let's shorten it." Namine offered. "How about Rina?"

The little girl thought about it. She smiled. "Okay! You can call me Rina!"

Sora smiled and put out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Rina."

-=-=-

The Organization was celebrating in their tent and disrupting the peace five times over. Somehow, despite the fact that technology was inoperable on Hogwarts grounds, Xigbar had managed to fill the tent with what appeared from the outside to be hundreds of strobe lights and flashing colors. The music was insanely loud, and many people had abandoned the area, or gone in search of help.

Kairi had been invited to the celebration but didn't feel like going. She was happy and all... she was happier than she'd been in a long time. With Kingdom Hearts back she felt whole again. She just needed some time alone to think. Actually, she really wanted some time with Sora, but... that would have to wait. He decided to remain in Twilight Town... she was eager to finish her school year at the magical Hogwarts.

Footsteps broke her reverie; Kairi spun around to see a familiar scarred face. She smiled at Harry and motioned for him to come stand with her.

"I'm no stranger to saving the day, but... saving the universe was really different." He chuckled. Kairi chuckled too.

"I guess it is. I'm kind of used to it by now." She joked. The two stood in peaceful silence, other than the booming chaos from the tent behind them.

"Your friend... that died..." Harry began.

"Aerith." Kairi murmured. Harry nodded.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's all right." She smiled, and Harry could see it was true. "It's like Cloud said. She was ready." The girl reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. It was then Harry noticed something. Instead of the school uniform, Kairi was wearing her old pink dress... and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. Harry hadn't known Aerith for long, but the resemblance was uncanny. Kairi noticed him staring.

"You changed your look." He said. Kairi nodded.

"Yeah. I uh..." She shrugged. "I don't know. It just... seemed like everyone else was growing up. Sora's changed a lot since the war. And Riku's always been grown up. So... I'm trying to be different. Trying to be wiser and stronger."

"You admired her?" Harry asked. Kairi nodded.

"Yeah. Aerith was everything I wanted to be." Kairi said whimsically. "I wish I'd told her that. Well, now I've decided that's who I'm going to be." She turned and smiled at him. "Brave, kind, loving, and truthful. Never giving up. I want to be as strong as she is. So whenever those I love need me, I'll be ready. Whenever..." She turned back to the sky. "When Sora needs me, I'll be there."

Harry followed her gaze. "I think you're already all those things, you're only just realizing it." he said. Kairi giggled and nodded.

"Maybe you're right." She turned to him. "You and the Prof have something in common."

"Prof?"

"Dumbledore." Kairi told him. "You both can see right through people. And you've always got the best intentions at heart."

Harry's face flushed and he cleared his throat. "Uh, well then,... uh, thanks. For comparing me to the best wizard in the wizarding world."

"Welcome!"

-=-=-

Radiant Garden was bustling with life. Cloud carefully maneuvered his bike through the crowded streets, heading towards the lower streets where he could ride out into the Maw.

"Heading somewhere?"

He turned and saw Leon nearby. The man waved, and Cloud nodded. The brunette approached him.

"I've got some unfinished business." Cloud explained. The older man looked worried.

"I hope its not your usual 'unfinished Sephiroth business'." He muttered. Cloud glanced away.

"Kind of... but its not what you think." Leon waited for the blond to explain. Cloud let out a sigh. "At the funeral... I forgave him." The elder looked surprised. "But now I think that's not enough. I think I ... need to talk to him. Maybe... settle all of this without our swords. I know that there's a lot of darkness between us but there was light there once. Maybe it can come back." He glanced up at Leon and the elder man saw that Cloud's eyes were, for once, light and free of worry.

"The light does have a tendency to sweep all else away." Cloud nodded in agreement. "I just hope Sephiroth doesn't decide to skewer you on sight."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine." He pulled his goggles on.

"If you don't call every day, I'm coming for you." Leon promised. Cloud waved over his shoulder, revved the bike, and headed down the street, passing through the last crowd of people, before getting onto the road.

Leon watched him go and remembered a time when he had been young and jaded. He tried to remember when it was he had let the wounds and the anger go. He wondered if he had looked as free and happy as Cloud did when he let go.

"It's good to know we won't all be angst ridden teenagers forever." And with that, Squall took his leave.

_I forgive you _

_I'll forgive you _

-=-=-

Riku escorted Aime to the Train station when it finally came time for her to go home. He glanced around the station: across the way, he saw Inuyasha and his brother, heading to board a train, either going to Hogwarts or going home. Near them was a large group of people, at the center two young woman, an orange haired buxom girl and a shorter dark haired girl. Riku remembered Ichigo Kurosaki, who stood right next to them. They looked happy to be back together. He smiled.

"It's good that's its all over, isn't it?" Aime whispered.

"Yeah."

"Then why does it feel like we've lost something?" The woman asked.

"Well... when the conflict is over, the story ends. Everyone goes their own way." Riku told her. "But every ending brings a new beginning."

"And let me guess... more conflict?" Aime asked. Riku smirked.

"You can bet on it."

"Guess I will have to enjoy the peace while I can." She smiled. The two felt their hands brush. They did not reach out and hold them... but each burned with the desire to do so.

They came to the booth. Riku stood with her as she bought the tickets. He followed her to the platform, through the crowds. Aime's leg brushed his. Riku got a whiff of her shampoo. _ Lilies?_

They finally came to the train. The goodbye couldn't be stalled anymore. Aime turned to him and smiled, and Riku set her luggage next to the other luggage being loaded on. Despite the noise surrounding them, the room seemed almost silent.

"I guess this is it then." Aime said. Riku glanced down.

"Uh... yeah."

"Well... it was wonderful working with you... Captain." Aime held out a hand.

The boy looked at it, looked at her, and smirked. He shook her hand. "And you, Assitant Captain." The grinned at one another, and the handshake, though it slowed, seemed to last a bit longer than normal handshakes.

"Well then." She said. Riku nodded.

"Yeah..."

"Uh..."

They shared a look. A sad, I don't want to leave but I need to, look.

"Goodbye." Aime whispered. She smiled and without waiting for Riku to say anything, turned to go. The boy watched hands clenched.

"W - wait!"

The girl immediately stopped and spun around, hope on her face. Riku faltered. But he managed to spit it out.

"Would - would you... would you like to meet someplace, uh... some... time?" He muttered. The atmosphere grew tense.

Aime let out a giggle, shaking her head as she approached him. Her hand slipped a piece of paper into his pocket as she pecked his check.

"I'd love to, _mon amie_,"

Then she waved, and spun around, racing onto the train that would finally take her home. Riku, meanwhile, put his hand in his pocket and pulled the paper out to make sure it wasn't a joke. No joke; it had all eight digits.

All he could do was watch the train go and smile. Once it was gone, he pocketed the paper, and headed to the Mansion.

_I'll forgive you _

_I forgive you _

-=-=-

Sora, Namine, and Riku sat in the corner of the large living room of the mansion, talking over Namine's latest paintings. She was getting very good, and had even auctioned off some of her work. As they chatted over cans of soda, the rest of the room buzzed with life.

"This place is too quiet with everyone at Hogwarts." Riku murmured.

"Yeah, it kinda gets lonely. The only members who decided to stay here were Marluxia, Larxene, and..."

"Yo."

The three turned and saw Axel walk into the room. "Hey."

"You didn't go back?" Sora asked him.

"Hell no! That place was hell!" Namine giggled as Axel pulled a chair out and sat down with them. He glanced over the artwork. "Whoa... nice job, Namine."

A few prints were on the table, each one of a different member of the RGRC or the Organization. "I'm trying to paint a picture of each person who fought in the war. So far, I've got all our friends down." She said.

"Cool." Axel picked up one that had two teens painted in it: Sora and his sister. "How is your sister doing?"

Sora forced a frown onto his face but inside he was smirking. "And why do you want to know that, huh?"

Axel's face became the color of his hair, and he set the painting back down. "N - No reason."

The other three shared a knowing look. They decided to be nice and play dumb. The door to the room opened again, and Marluxia poked his head in. "Hey, Namine, Axel. We got a call from the boss, he wants to talk to all of us." The two Organization members nodded.

"Be right back." Namine smiled, and headed through the door.

"Peace!" Axel sauntered out after her.

Sora and Riku watched them go.

"And then there were two." Riku smirked. He and Sora shared a small laugh. They sat there in silence.

"It's weird... being back." Sora admitted. "I mean, it's been a while since we just hung out together, y'know?"

"Yeah." Riku nodded. He was collecting the paintings and putting them back in their protective cases. "It's been even longer since you, me, and Kairi went back to the island."

"Oh, man." Sora let out a deep sigh and sank down in his chair. "I really, really, really, miss home." Riku chuckled, and nodded.

"Me, too."

"The fort."

"The races."

"Swimming."

"Fighting on the beach."

"Paopu fruit." Sora grinned at that. "Heh. To think I wanted to give Kairi a stupid fruit..." Riku understood his meaning and laughed.

"When you were already tied together from the beginning." Sora nodded and laughed too. "Guess I never had a chance."

"Sorry." Sora said sheepishly.

"No prob." Riku, reaching into his pocket, pulled a piece of paper out. "I'm not hung up on that anymore." He smirked as Sora's eyes went wide at the sight of the eight digit number.

"Holy crap! Who'd you get it from?" He grinned ear to ear, ready to leap over the table and embrace Riku in a death grip. The older boy laughed and put the paper away.

"Nonya."

"Nonya?"

"None of ya business." Sora looked baffled, until Riku burst into laughter. After a moment, the other followed suit, until the room rang with it.

The voices that echoed in Sora's mind came back for a moment as he laughed with his friend. They spoke of Riku, of everything they'd been through together, of the friendship they had that people envied. _Riku's badass, ... Riku is really sexy! _Okay, Sora could've done without that one.

Wait a minute... the voices still had more to say. Some... disturbing things to say. _Hold his hand! Lean closer!_

What? Why would he do that? Images started to come to him. Very bad, bad images. Images of things Sora and Kairi would have fun doing that he would NEVER NEVER NEVER do with Riku. But the images were with Riku. And things were happening. Very bad things.

The people... those people liked this!??!?!?

"Sora, what's wrong?" Riku saw the jaw drop on Sora's face, the absolute horror.

_He's concerned about you! Awww! Go hug him!_

Sora leapt to his feet, stumbling over his chair, backing away from Riku. The older boy stood. "Sora? What the hell?"

_Don't hurt his feelings! He loves you!_

Without another word, Sora ran screaming from the room, leaving a baffled silver haired teen behind him.

_For blue, blue skies _

_For blue, blue skies _

_For blue, blue skies _

_For blue, blue skies_

_I'll forgive you_

_-_For Blue Skies, Strays Don't Sleep

-=-=-

Outside of Twilight Town, walking through plains of grass, was a small group of people in traveling cloaks, holding large bags on their shoulders. They looked a bit worse for the wear, but the smiles on their faces made it seem like they were glowing. Two children raced happily through the tall grass, laughing and laughing.

Two sisters watched them play with big grins on their faces. "Be careful Tidu, Mari!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Behind the two sisters came three men: a handsome young man, a older professor, and a tan skinned man with white hair. They watched the children run towards Twilight Town with the largest smiles.

"What are you gonna do first?" Mari asked her friend.

"Skate boarding! I'm gonna skate with Roxas and his friends!" Tidu cheered.

"I want ice cream! Sea salt ice cream! The other place didn't have any at all!" The ran faster, pushed by their wishes.

"We can go skating, and then we can all get ice cream!" The boy offered, running ahead of her.

"And then we can go to the beach!"

"Then we can ride the train to all the worlds, all of them!"

"Yeah! I wanna see all of them!"

"We'll see every world, and we'll tell em all about the other place!"

Mari looked at her friend with a quizzical smile. "Think they'll believe us?" She asked.

The boy grinned broadly. "Not on your life!"

_Just like the good old days_

_Even when all the old days are done_

_Here we are with unlimited ways_

_To spend these last days under the sun_

-=-=-=-

The End

-=-=-=-

**I can't believe this is really happening.**

**I kept writing more and more of this chapter in an effort to stop it but that didn't work of course. There's always an end to everything.**

**When I first started writing this trilogy, I wrote it with this chapter in mind. I came up with the idea that maybe Kingdom Hearts was Earth. I ran with that idea, and started the trilogy, which was just going to be one story. I wanted the Organization to come back, Sora to find the door to light, and learn the revelation of what Kingdom Hearts really was. But apparently it took more than one story to accomplish that.**

**This story is the first one I wrote on a serious, almost every day basis. It was the first one I focused on, the first that I am proud of. The practice that I got from the writing it, and the support I got from readers, is what made me the writer I am today. Thank you everyone.**

**To all the readers, some of whom have been there since that first chapter I wrote almost four years ago. I was thirteen then; I'm now on the cusp of seventeen. I've changed, and so has my life. In the beginning I updated almost every day, now my life keeps me so busy that updating monthly is a lucky break.**

**The fact that this is over means an ending for me too. I wrote this as a child, and I'm not a child anymore. I look back at some of the things I've written here and think, "What the hell was I doing?" But it was part of the learning process. I forgive myself for my mistakes, and I hope you can too.**

**Thank you all, once again. This wouldn't have continued without support. The reviews I got gave me confidence that I was a good writer, and that made me keep writing. **

**There will be no more sequels; I may, at some point, write a one shot that is in the universe of this series, but that will be a long time away and I don't know if I ever will. I want to but life gets in the way. I can't keep adding to this series knowing that I'll never finish what I start because I hardly have the time.**

**THANK YOU. I can't say it enough. **

**Thank you, and goodbye.**

**SULHADAHNE**


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